Blood, Love and Nursing
by GOthIC-anGELz
Summary: Naruto, estranged son of a mafia boss and head nurse at Konoha hospital meets Gaara,a successful and power driven surgeon. The two start off an unlikely relationship but when Naruto's family decides they want him back for an arranged marriage with Naruto's rival will their love survive or will Naruto be forced into marriage with Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto/Gaara, Sasuke/Naruto
1. Enter Naruto the nurse

Naruto frowned as watched the results form of his patient's MRI scan. He had been hoping for a better outcome then the picture that was forming. The young, blonde man looked over to his friend and the lead surgeon on the case Sakura Haruno to gage her reaction to the information presented. The short, pink hair women had a grim expression on her face and Naruto felt his heart drop. He had come across cases like this many of times in his nursing career, especially since he had chosen children's oncology as his speciality but this case was especially close to his heart. Konohamaru Sarutobi, a 13 year old boy with severe spinal cord tumour and also their late head of the hospital's grandson. Naruto shouldn't have even be assigned to the case considering how close he was to the boy, he was practically a little brother to him since Hiruzen Sarutobi; or Jiji as Naruto called him, had taken him under his wing and become like a second father to him. Naruto had promised the ageing man before he past that he would watch over his grandson and Naruto had kept that promise, visiting him weekly at Konohamaru's uncle's house.

"This is out of my league Naruto, even with Shizune's help the success rate is low…less than 20 percent" Naruto punched the wall behind him, his heart clutching in despair. He couldn't keep his promise to the man who gave him shelter when he turned his back on his father and the family business.

"There has to be something you can do Sakura!" a tear slipped from the surgeon's eye and she shook her head.

"We've tried everything to shrink it to the appropriate size to operate on Naruto and nothing's worked. It's too deeply rooted around the spinal cord, almost like it's infused with it" Naruto's shoulders slumped forward. He wouldn't give up, he couldn't.

"Then find someone who can do it! What about Tsunade!" Sakura sighed and looked over the boy's notes. Tsunade was in America for the next few month's teaching, she wouldn't make it back in time.

"There is one person…" Naruto grabbed her shoulders, desperation in his eyes. "He's new here but I heard he's meant to be on par with Tsunade, I could ask him to take a look"

"Who! Tell me who Sakura and I'll find him right now!" the petite girl cringed. The new surgeon was known as ruthless and cold, he only took on case's that he found interesting enough to give his career a boost and that didn't bode well for them considering the surgery would be highly risky, anyone who performed it and failed could be held liable.

"Gaara Sabaku…let me talk to him though Naruto" the blonde shook his head, this was too personal for him, it was his responsibility.

"No, Jiji entrusted me to look over Konohamaru and that's exactly what I'm going to do" Naruto grabbed the young boy's notes and x-rays and dashed out of the room. He wasn't sure where he would find this new surgeon but he would turn Konoha hospital apart till he found him.

…..

Gaara Sabaku was a shrewd man. By 19 he had finished university top of his class; 3 years earlier then he was meant to. He had then slowly made himself a reputation, scaling the surgical ladder until he could reach his final goal; head surgeon of Konoha Hospital. Currently Lady Tsunade held the position but he knew her retirement was in a few years and he could wait, it would give him time to establish himself as the best candidate for the job. The 26 year old man sat in his office, his red hair parted to the side to revel his Ai tattoo and his green, sea foam eye's sifting through the surgical cases currently admitted. He didn't want to take on any boring case, it had to be interesting enough to get him into a medical journal for it. He glared at the door of his office when he heard a commotion outside, someone was arguing with his secretary and he was about to stand up when a dishevelled blonde man bustled his way into the room. He pierced his eyes into and over him, taking in his appearance. Over all the man was quite stunning, he had a well-toned physique that was subtly hidden under his scrubs and his face had a certain innocence to it which was only enhanced by his shocking crystal blue eyes. The only downside to the man was his messy blonde hair which looked like he had crawled out of bed and hadn't bothered to brush it.

"May I help you?" The man slammed an arrangement of notes down on his desk and their eyes met. Gaara was in awe of the determination in the man's eyes and he found a heat flutter in his stomach. It took a lot to get his attention and this man had done it within a matter of seconds.

"Can you remove it?" he pushed an x-ray towards him and Gaara flicked his eye's downwards. He held back a satisfied smiled, immediately recognising what the attractive nurse was showing him.

"It would be polite to introduce yourself first before I look over any of these note's" the man stood up and crossed his arm's, obviously irritate with his attitude.

"Naruto…Naruto Uzumaki" Gaara held back a smile. He had heard about Uzumaki, the boisterous yet top nurse in all the land of fire. He cared for each patient as if they were his own family and his success rates were through the roof in Oncology leading him to become the charge nurse of the children's ward at only 24.

"Alright Naruto, what is it exactly you want me to do…" he picked up the x-ray and held it up, a small smile on his lips. It was a difficult case but fortunately he had done a procedure like this before which raised the success rate to fifty percent. A second spinal cord tumour removal at 26 would definitely put him in the race for head surgeon.

"Can you remove it or not?" he eyed up the man in front of him again, nodding with a sly smile on his face.

…..

Naruto hated the way the obnoxious surgeon was looking at him. It was if he was a piece of steak being served up on a plate for the red haired man. If he wasn't so irritated by him right now though he probably would have found the smaller man attractive.

"I can remove it…but" Naruto cringed. He was use to but's, he had grown up in a mafia family and nothing was for free. He felt his stomach drop, his mind reeling with all the possibilities that the green eyed surgeon could want.

"But what…" the man sighed and flicked over the note's quickly. Naruto shuffled from side to side as he began to feel uncomfortable. He had turned his back on his family, sick of being used and he had sworn he would never be put in a position like that again.

"I want you to stay on this case" Naruto let out his breath, he needed to stop being so paranoid. "I've done a procedure like this before, it's long and difficult so I want someone who knows these notes and the patient backwards and forwards, I can see how passionate you are about this so I consider you an asset"

"Of course! You'd have to kill me before I got pulled off Konohamaru's case!" Naruto felt elated, there was hope finally and his chest felt lighter.

"I would also like you to have dinner with me tonight" as quickly as the elation came it deflated. There was always a catch, especially with power driven people like Gaara. "These note's mean nothing to me, I would rather hear everything from you" Naruto nodded, he was confused. Gaara gave out a tension that basically screamed he was attracted to him and yet he had never heard of another surgeon apart from Sakura that was interested more in the patient then the notes. Sure they were important but to get down to what care was really needed before and after surgery a therapeutic relationship needed to be built so trust could be formed. That's what made Naruto an exceptional nurse but it was very rare for surgeons.

"Oh…sure" Gaara gave him a small smile then a cold mask feel back into place. He raised his hand and shooed Naruto out, focusing on the note's given to him. Naruto scuttled out of the room quickly, his mind no longer on Konohamaru but on the confusing green eyed surgeon instead.


	2. A date or work?

Nervous would be an understatement for how Naruto was feeling. His stomach was in knots and was twisting as if he was suffering from sea sickness. It had been years since he had been to a restaurant of such calibre, not by choice though. Between his shifts at the hospital and socialising with his friends; who like more family orientated places like barbeque establishments, he didn't have much time to enjoy the finer things. Sure he had the money but he always felt like he was squandering it by splashing out on a meal over thirty dollars. Naruto stopped infront of the concierge, hoping he was dressed up enough to gain entry. He had scrounged through his closet and had managed to find black dress slacks and a button up shirt shoved in the back of it; sadly no coat jacket. The judgemental man looked over him, dissatisfaction clearly evident but he still acknowledged him.

"Name?" his tone was sharp, causing Naruto to wince. It was a nice change though, the last time he had been here was with his family and the old concierge stumbled over his words in fear. The man looked past him and gave a small smile to whoever was behind him.

"He's with me" the man looked between the two men, curiosity flickering in his eyes and eventually nodded. Gaara stood beside Naruto and the blonde gave him a weak smile. Under different circumstances Naruto probably would have enjoyed dinning here as a treat but as it was it was to discuss their patient. "Don't look so Nervous Uzumaki, the people here can smell fear"

"Very funny Sabaku, it's just been awhile since I've been here" Naruto shuddered under Gaara's curious gaze as he felt he was being inspected under a microscope. _Did this man ever get out of work mode? _Theyreached there table and Gaara pulled out a seat for Naruto which he nodded in thanks towards the paler man. "By the way Naruto will be fine, I'm not one for formalities"

"Alright Naruto…" he began to fidget with the hem of his shirt, an unsettling feeling as if he was being watched coming over him. "Wine?"

"Uh, yeah…sure" he wasn't much of a wine drinker but he doubted they had anything of his taste here. "So Gaara, what do you think of Konoha?"

"It's alright, nothing special but I'm here to work not sight see" Naruto nodded, it was going to be hard to have a conversation with the closed off surgeon. "So tell me about Konohamaru" Naruto blew out a sign of relief, happy they were getting straight to the point. He didn't think he could sit through a whole meal of awkward silence.

"Konohamaru is thirteen, an orphan as his parent's died when he was a toddler. Hiruzen Sarutobi took him in and raised him until a few months ago when he passed away" Gaara waved off the waiter who quickly poured them their drinks and lifted the red liquid to his lips.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi? The previous head of the hospital?" Naruto nodded, happy the man had done his research.

"The one and only. Since then Konohamaru has been living with his Uncle Asuma and his partner Kurenai." Naruto browsed the menu, his eye's shifting to the dark liquid in his glass. He was thirsty but he had never been one for red wine and was afraid if he took a sip he would cringe his face and insult Gaara. "He was diagnosed a few weeks after Jiji's passing and we have been trying many treatment's to shrink the tumour so it's possible to operate but so far there has been no results and Sakura won't touch it"

"So you came to me?" Naruto nodded. Gaara sat back in his chair, his eyes looking up at the room as he contemplated the information. "So we have a thirteen year old boy with a history of family tragedy, one being few months ago…what is his mental state like?"

"So far he seems in good spirits, he's always been a pretty resilient kid" Naruto had a sinking feeling in his stomach, scared that his new hope would pull out.

"Before I proceed I would like to change his treatment a bit" Gaara looked so calm, as if he had gathered all the tiny bits of information and pieced together a bigger picture Naruto couldn't see. "It is true, before I operate the tumour needs to be shrunk and if he's as resilient as you say then he will have no problem with increasing the dose of chemotherapy…another thing I need done is a complete psychological assessment"

"He won't agree to that…" Naruto had tried many time's to get the boy he considered a brother to talk to someone but the boy would insist he was fine.

"I will not do the surgery without it. I'm a firm believer that a person's mental state affects the procedure and recovery time. I want him to have a full understanding of how we are to proceed and what the surgery entitles" Gaara waved over a waiter and placed his order, looking to Naruto who bit his lip. He hadn't even considered what to get yet. "Just get him what I'm having"

"Hey!" one thing Naruto was picky about was his food.

"Don't worry Naruto, I ordered a simple steak meal" Gaara smiled at him, a real smile and Naruto found himself smiling back, the attraction he felt towards the man in his office niggling at him again. "There is a 50/50 chance of living or dying Naruto and he needs to be aware of this to make the choice he believes is right. We can either stop the chemo and let him have a few months at most being a normal kid or we can operate…those are his only choices"

"I understand…" Naruto was so use to being hopeful that he never really thought about the possibility of Konohamaru dying. It was like a cold slap to the face.

"That's where you come in, I need you to make sure he understands this. He will be discussing it in his assessment but as you know him you will be able to grasp the full extent of what he's acknowledged" Naruto wondered if Gaara was always this cold and calculating. So far apart from the brief smile they shared he seemed very clinical, almost as if he was unable to switch off. Naruto also had trouble shifting from work mode to personal as he often stayed at the hospital between shifts and was barely home due to being on call most of the time but he made sure he still remained fun.

"All right, if that what gives him the best chance then I'll do everything I can to make sure he understands"

….

Gaara found himself observing his soon to be co-worker intently. He watched as his blonde, still scruffy hair fell into his blue eye's that seemed to entrap him when he looked into him. He wondered if the man knew how attractive he was or if he was completely oblivious to his appeal. Gaara also found that the man's concern for his young patient tugged at his heart in a way that had never been done before. It was if the man's own caring had reached out and taken a hold of him, making him want to step up and do everything possible to ensure his survival. It had been a long time since anyone had provoked some kind of emotional attachment in him and he was quick to grasp at it. If Gaara was honest with himself he had become increasingly lonely and it was if a hole had been expanding in his chest causing him to seek out someone who could fill it with some sort emotion…maybe even love him. Gaara shook his head, he had only just met the man and it would be stupid to start thinking of such a trivial thing as love.

"So Naruto, tell me about yourself" Naruto gave him a surprised look but it was soon replaced with a bright smile and Gaara swore he could practically feel warmth radiating off it.

"There's not a lot to tell to be honest. I spend most of my time at the hospital working and even when I get time off I usually find a bed to crash in for the night in the staffing area. People say I'm a workaholic but I can't help it, I love what I do" Gaara cocked his head to the side. They seemed to be completely different yet exactly the same. Naruto was bright, bubbly and loud; his personality and positivity infectious and Gaara was quiet, clinical and broody. Yet they both loved their work, barley stepping outside to interact with the world.

"What about your family? Don't they want to spend time with you?" He watched as the boy paled, looking around franticly as if he was afraid someone would overhear them.

"What about you Gaara, what do you do in your spare time?" it annoyed him that Naruto dodged his question but he decided not to press the matter. He planned on spending a lot of time getting to know Naruto so he could ask again later.

"Pretty much the same as you, eventually I want to be head surgeon so I don't have time to fall behind with my work" Gaara smiled when Naruto's warm laughed rang out. It was the first time he had heard it and he decided he wanted to hear it more often.

"Good luck with that. Although granny Tsunade is due to retire soon you'll have to pull the scalpel out her hands before she did willingly" Gaara's eyes darkened at that. He had a set plan and he hated to think that it could be postponed "Don't worry though, even though she loves surgery she loves her sake and gambling more"

"She doesn't sound very fit to lead the surgical team…" Naruto waved his hand in a dismissing manor.

"Oh don't worry, Shizune keeps her in line. Although I don't think she'll be very happy when she finds out she's next in line to be head of the hospital. Kakashi's running it at the moment but he's only a fill in" Once again Gaara found himself smiling back, amazed at how carefree the man was infront of him. He had meet many people in children oncology and they had all acted as if they had their hearts broken but this man in front of him was like an unbreakable force, Gaara admired him.

…

Naruto had tried to focus on eating his dinner, he had to admit Gaara was right picking for him, the steak was delicious. But he found himself distracted. The first problem was Gaara, he was surprised how easy it was to talk to what he thought was a cold man but instead he was witty and charming and they had been throwing banter back and forth at each other for a while. The second was that he still felt as if he was being watched and it was unnerving him. He blushed as he felt Gaara intense sea foam eyes on him again. The more he talked with Gaara the more attracted he felt towards him. It was if the man had his own gravitational pull and Naruto was finding it hard not to focus on the man's lips. It had been awhile since he had been with anyone, the last person being Kiba. The relationship had been fun but after a while the strain of Naruto's work load put too much pressure on the short relationship, causing the vet to break up with him. Naruto didn't mind, he understood that Kiba was a person who needed more attention then what he could give him and they parted ways; remaining as friends. Gaara's eyes shifted to something behind him and Naruto frowned at feeling someone suddenly close to him.

"Dobe, on a date are we?" the sound of Sasuke Uchiha's voice grated against his brain and he automatically clenched his fists. Naruto wouldn't say he hated the raven haired man but he did hold a lot of dislike towards him that steamed deep down in childhood rivalry. It had been years since he had last seen the youngest of the Uchiha clan and Naruto had hoped he would never have to see him again.

"We're discussing a patient, would you mind bothering someone else?" he refused to turn to face him. He knew he would have his usual smug smirk on his face.

"Stop playing doctor dobe, we all know you we're too stupid to become one that's why you're a nurse" Naruto tried to even out his breath. The laughter of his father still rang in his head every now and then when he had announced he was leaving the family to pursue nursing and his father telling him that if he did to never bother coming back. Naruto had left that second, never looking back.

"Excuse me but Naruto here and I are having a confidential conversation about a patient. If you would could you please return to your own table so we may continue our discussion in peace" Naruto lifted his head up in shock. His blue eyes wide and staring at Gaara as if he had just grown six heads. No one outside of the mafia clans stood up to a member, not if they wanted to end up in a dumpster somewhere.

"Sasuke, enough. Leave Namikaze alone" he flinched at his old last name. When Naruto had left he had changed his name over to his mother's maiden name, not wanting his ties to the Namikaze clan to bar him from opportunities.

"You always ruin my fun Itachi" the younger Uchiha grumbled, his eyes still focused on Naruto, anger flicking in them. An older looking version of Sasuke stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto, it's good to see you again, I do hope you're doing well" Naruto finally turned around to acknowledge Itachi. They had always got along well, the older man always stepping in to break up Naruto's and Sasuke's fights.

"You to Itachi" the man nodded and tightened his grip on Sasuke's shoulder. Naruto watched as his rival was dragged back to his own table and he let out his breath again.

"Do you want to tell me what that was about?" Gaara's voice was stern, almost disapproving and Naruto flinched at its coldness.

"Not particularly, just an old rival from middle school, nothing major" he felt his heart drop with every word. He had finally met someone that could have been worth his time and now his chances were ruined. Everyone knew who the Namikaze and Uchiha clans were, it was impossible not to. They practically ran the city and had there hand's in every government sector there was.

"As long as it doesn't affect your work…" Naruto felt a similar tension as before build between them. Gaara still seemed interested in him and Naruto felt his stomach flutter.

"It won't, I promise!" he was a bit too enthusiastic and he saw Gaara smile warmly at him again. Naruto decided he liked seeing the red haired Adonis smile and he would make sure he would see it time and time again.

"I'll get the check, are you ready to go?" Naruto nodded, standing up and pulling out his wallet "I'll pay for it, don't worry"

"But…" he blushed as Gaara winked at him. Naruto began to wonder what was going on in his co-workers head.

"Consider this our first date" his jaw dropped at the sentence. Sure they had a great time but could he consider it a date? The man hadn't even said anything about it being that way inclined!

"D-date?" Gaara took a step forward and picked up Naruto's hand, placing a light kiss on it that made the skin tingle.

"One of many" Naruto watched the man's retreating back, still stunned at the revelation. Of course he had been thinking that there was a possibility of dating the man but he had never expected it so soon. There was a lot more to Gaara Sabaku then met the eye and Naruto decided that he wanted to learn more.


	3. Siblings and planning

A/N. Hi everyone thank you so much for liking this story! This I just a quick authors note to say I appreciate the feedback and reply to them.

BelleArcher: Here's a little bit of a back story for Gaara, over time I'll go further into their own personal stories but for now it's just a brief intro to them and don't worry I won't turn Sasuke into anything like that, as in the summary Naruto and Sasuke are rivals and as of this moment I have no intention of them having any other feelings towards each other apart from that.

Dorianimeyaoilover, cloudmichaelis and the guest who reviewed thank you so much and im glad you're enjoying it so far!

…..

Gaara lay in his bed and held up his newest cases x-ray. He had been staring at it all night, trying to figure out the best way to approach the monstrous tumour that spread between C5 in the cervical region to T6 in the thoracic. He sighed and began to doubt himself, as it was now there would be no way to remove the unhealthy tissue mass as he couldn't find a point to start at. He placed the film on his bedside table and decided to grab his laptop so he could chat to his brother Kankuro and sister Temari. His mind flicked back to the scene between Naruto and the man Sasuke, it had been interesting as it clearly had unnerved the bubbly head nurse. He clicked on a search engine, not sure what he was looking for but the name Uchiha had sounded familiar to him. Numerous articles appeared on the screen, each one with a recurring theme stating that the Uchiha family was a mafia clan. Gaara frowned, he knew it had sounded familiar. Before moving to Konoha, Gaara had resided in Suna in a small apartment with his siblings and they had made a comment about how his estranged father had been propositioned by the Uchiha clan. Gaara hadn't paid attention to the details, he could have cared less about his old man and who he connected himself with. He clicked on an article and a photo flicked on the screen. The two men from dinner stood on either side of a staunch, dominating older male. His black hair tied back in a ponytail and his onyx eye's piercing and unsettling. Gaara leaned back in his chair and sighed, why was Naruto mixed up with this people? He scanned the article quickly, not really interested in the family but to see if there was any information that could link to Naruto. He reached the end of the article and noticed there were links to relevant stories and the name Namikaze jumped out at him. Gaara's usual calm demeanour dropped. On the screen was a photo of what looked to be an 18 year old Naruto, his bright blue eye's shinning and warm smile reaching out of the screen. From what the article had said was that the man had dropped off the face of the earth, the media concerned he had become the target of a mafia hit as he had left barley any trail to his whereabouts. Now Gaara understood. From what Sasuke had said his clan must have been disgraced by Naruto's choice of career and in conjunction with that Naruto had changed his last name and cut ties with them. It was only speculation but Gaara had done a similar thing. Gaara's father was the head of the Suna health ministry and he had always looked down on Gaara. He constantly compared him to his siblings as Kankuro was the leading neurosurgeon in Suna and Konoha and Temari the top in orthopaedics. Gaara had refused to choose a speciality, he saw it as limiting and he strived to be the best at every aspect dabbling in every field. His father saw this as a failure and Gaara eventually got sick of the old man dictating his life that he packed up his bag's and moved to Konoha to carve his own path without being under the man's thumb. A green light flashed at the bottom of his screen, signalling that he was getting a video call.

"Gaara! You've been gone a week and you haven't even bothered to send us a message that you made it safely!" an angry, tan blonde women appeared on the screen, he teal eye's disappointed but relieved.

"Sorry Temari, I've been busy" her four ponytailed haired head shook but she sighed then gave him a smile. "I've taken on a new case…"

"Already! I was sure you would be spending week's sifting through cases before you found one that interested you" his older brother popped his head into the background, giving him a small wave.

"It found me actually…" Temari raised her eyebrow, not a lot of people approached Gaara willingly.

"Who is he?" Gaara narrowed his eyes. She knew better then to inquire about his personal life, even if they were siblings. "Come on Gaara, it takes either a highly intense case for you to take it or you get swayed by a pretty face"

"Which is it Gaara?" Kankuro pulled up a chair next to Temari, obviously they were feeling safe behind the laptop screen.

"If you must know it was both…while you're here I would actually like your opinions on my case, it's difficult…even for me" Temari nodded, leaning forward on her elbows to indicate she was listening. "It's a spinal tumour, it spans from C5 to T6 and has not responded to radiation nor chemo"

"Have you upped the chemo dosage?" Gaara nodded, grabbing the scattered notes next to him. Naruto's scruffy scrawls were all over the page and it had taken awhile to decipher what Gaara now considered a whole other language.

"I've suggested it, I was only given the details tonight by Naruto. I've also ordered for a psych evaluation as the patient is only 13 and recently lost his guardian" he saw a shift of recognition in Tamari's eyes and cursed her under his breath. She was too quick to pick up on things and had noticed he had called Naruto by his first name. It usually took a while for Gaara to drop formalities such as addressing people by their last names. "The problem is I just can't see where to start, the mass is too big and unless it shrinks touching it would be career suicide"

"That bad huh? Poor kid, I'm guessing there's a high chance for full paralysis since it covers both regions" Gaara leant back in his chair and stared at the roof, feeling deflated and stupid for taking on what seemed an impossible task but if he was honest that's why he took it. He liked making the impossible possible.

"Well, the only way I can see us of being any help is by hoping on a plane tomorrow and seeing this monster tumour for ourselves" Gaara snapped his seat forwards, his eyes wide. He knew Temari's tone all too well, she just wanted to come see who had caught his eye "It wouldn't hurt to have us on your team with this one…we could even get the old man to have a look"

"No, you will not speak a word of this to that bastard!" he slammed his hand down on his desk, causing his laptop to wobble a little bit. Kankuro raised his hands and smiled awkwardly.

"Sorry Gaara, it slipped our minds that you two still weren't talking" Gaara ran his hand through his hair frustrated. It had been an unexpectedly long day. He had agree to the most difficult case he had ever come across, found out the man he wanted to pursue was the son of a head mafia clan and now his siblings were going to hop on a plane just to meddle. Why did he think his life would get any easier if he moved?

"You looked tired Gaara" Temari was right, he hadn't had much luck at getting any sleep the past week, his new surroundings taking a while to get use to. "Get some sleep, well see you tomorrow" the screen went black and Gaara let out an exhausted sigh, he was sure he would be getting a decent sleep tonight.

….

Naruto stood outside of Konohamaru's room, revising his newly formed care plan for the boy. He checked his watch quickly, waiting for Sakura to turn up with Ino; one of the hospitals psychologists'. He was wary, Konohamaru was a boy he didn't like talking about his condition with anyone else then Sakura or him. He wondered how the boy would react to Gaara, he could already tell the man would be very straight forward and clinical but he had also shown him a softer side that had taken Naruto by surprise.

"Naruto!" Sakura came running up to him, a wide smile on her face with Ino trailing behind her "I can't believe you got Dr Sabaku to agree to this!" she threw her arms around him, her gratitude shown through it.

"He wasn't that hard to convince…I showed him he X-rays and he agreed pretty quickly" he looked over to Ino who was smiling to. Konohamaru was a big part of the hospital, a lot of staff having a bond with him and to have hope back meant the world to them.

"So why did you call me here? Konohamaru made it clear he didn't want to talk" Naruto shuffled his feet. He didn't want to offend Sakura in anyway and he had assumed the changeover of surgeons would be a gradual process of information swapping not overnight.

"There's a catch. Gaara won't operate unless the tumour shrinks enough and a psych evaluation is done" Sakura looked wary and her eye's dulled. Ino placed a hand on her arm in a comforting manor. The tall blonde who had blonde hair tied back into a ponytail and deep blue eyes, one almost covered by a thick side fringe as lost her enthusiasm.

"Please let me explain" all eye's turned to the new comer. Naruto blushed at the sight of him, looking handsome in casual slacks, red button down top and a white lab coat over the top. Sakura raised her eyebrow at Naruto, looking between the two and his blush deepened. "Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka I presume?" the two women nodded, feeling slightly intimidated by his cool gaze. "As I explained to Naruto last night this tumour is impossible to remove unless it shrinks…"

"We already knew that" Sakura snapped, folding her hand's over her chest disapproving of how he was treating her like she didn't know anything.

"So I plan to double his chemo dosage, from his charts it says his schedule is twice a week, I want this upped to four times" Naruto could tell Sakura was becoming agitated, her disagreement obvious.

"That's too dangerous! He won't be able to handle it!" Gaara sighed and waved his hand in a dismissive manor.

"Nonsense, Naruto informed me that Konohamaru is a resilient child. I believe he can handle it" Sakura went to protest again but Gaara gave her a stern look that made her shrink back. "Now the second thing is the psych assessment. Without this I will not take on this case"

"Finally! A surgeon who knows the importance of mental health surrounding surgery!" Ino smiled brightly at Gaara, obviously impressed with him. "I've been hassling Sakura for years about the benefits of psychology before and post-surgery, it's always over looked!"

"That's exactly right Dr Yamanaka, I did my masters researching the effects of psychology in patient after care and the results were very eye opening to me, I won't do a procedure without an assessment and because the patient has very little family it is essential to evaluate his stability" Naruto looked at Konohamaru's door, he had defiantly gone to the right person. Every bit of new information that he got about the man's life intrigued him more and more about him. On the surface he seemed almost distant but then learning how invested he was in the care of patient's showed there was a thoughtful, caring and careful person under the doctors mask.

"If you don't mind I would like to assist on this case" Naruto felt the tension between the two surgeons, he knew that it was incredibly hard for two high ranking surgeons to work side by side, especially when one was as invested as Sakura was.

"I will allow it but if your emotional feelings come into play and undermined any decisions I make you will have to step down from this case" Naruto sighed, this was going to be an interesting few months.


	4. Inevitable attraction

Naruto welcomed his break happily when the clock rolled around. It had been a hectic morning with Konohamaru and the rest of his duties as charge nurse. His feet were aching but he was happy. Naruto loved his job, sure it had its heart breaking moments but it also had the most filling ones to. He looked down at his arms and laughed, he had spent a few hours in the family room and the children decided to 'tattoo' his arms. Naruto quickly grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of juice and made his way over to his usual table where Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Shino and Neji sat. The group was usually bigger outside of the hospital with Choji, Lee and Tenten who worked at the rehabilitation centre across the road as well as Kiba who was the town vet.

"Who are those guys?" Ino whispered to Naruto, pointing her fork towards a table Gaara was sitting at with two others. Naruto peered over, his eyes lingering a bit too long as Gaara turned around causing him to awkwardly wave.

"No idea" he shrugged and picked up his sandwich. Ino pursed her lips but went back to eating her salad. "Today's been rough. Can't believe I'm saying this but I can't wait to get home to my own bed"

"That's out of character for you Naruto" Neji, who was the hospitals heart surgeon stated. Neji had a clinical personality like Gaara but Naruto found once you got past the demeanour he was a pretty decent guy.

"I'm exhausted, with everything going on with Konohamaru I just feel drained" the table nodded in agreement, feeling similar effects as the blonde.

"I don't know how you do it Naruto" Hinata said shyly, a blush on her cheeks. Naruto knew the neo natal surgeon had feelings for him but she had acknowledge a long time ago they would never be reciprocated. Not that she was a lovely person, he just didn't bat for that team.

"His evaluation went well, he will have weekly visits with me till further notice" Ino piped in, a wide smile on her graceful features. Naruto had been relieved when Konohamaru didn't put up a fight, understanding that there was no other option.

"I still don't agree with increasing the dosage…" Sakura muttered under her breath. Shikamaru didn't provide any input. His usual bored expression conveyed on his face.

"So you're Naruto?" a curious voice came from behind him and he spun around to respond to the newcomer. "I'm Temari and this is Kankuro, Gaara's siblings"

"Oh! I didn't know he had siblings! Are you visiting I haven't seen you two around here" he shook their hands and offered them a seat each. He looked around for Gaara but didn't see him anywhere.

"Don't bother, he's a workaholic. We've come to help with Gaara's case" Sakura's head shot up, a scowl on her face.

"How bothersome" Shikamaru yawned, sensing the tension coming off the pink haired surgeon.

"You mean MY case" she snapped, obviously annoyed at being pushed off to the side. Temari shot her a look of annoyance and Naruto squirmed.

"So tell me about yourself Naruto, what do you do for a hobby" Naruto blushed, he felt uncomfortable under Kankuro's curious gaze.

"Um…don't you want to know about Konohamaru instead of me?" Temari laughed and shook her head as if he was missing out on some kind of joke.

"She's asking because her brother has the hot's for you Naruto" Ino winked. Naruto blushed even more, he didn't like people trying to press into his life unless he knew them.

"It is obvious" Shino backed up Ino's statement, his eyes hidden behind his dark glasses. Shino was the quite one of the group and head radiologist, which was why he always wore the goggle like glasses.

"It's unusual for Gaara to take an interest in someone so quick" Naruto stood up quickly, grabbing his orange juice and giving everyone a shy smile.

"Sorry guy's but I have to get back to work" he quickly made his way out of the cafeteria, his heart pounding in his chest as he made his way to an on call room to escape the attention he was getting. He quickly closed and locked the door behind him, his back against it as he caught his breath.

"Trying to hide to?" Naruto's eye's snapped open, his blush returning to his cheeks. Gaara lay down on the bed in front of him, his head resting on a pillow with his arm around it and the other holding up a book.

"How'd you guess?" Gaara sent him a knowing look and sat up, patting the space next to him.

"I'm doing the same thing" Gaara smiled. Naruto flopped down on the bed and lay backwards, his feet on the floor and his eyes focused on the roof. "It wasn't my family by any chance was it?"

"Their pretty blunt aren't they?" Naruto turned his head to face Gaara who had copied Naruto and was now looking eye to eye. Naruto bit his lip, a burning in his stomach beginning as he took in the breath taking man next to him.

"Indeed they are" they lay next to each other for a while, a comfortable silence between them as they stared at each other.

…

Gaara felt trapped in Naruto's crystal blue orbs, he didn't know how long he had been staring into them but it had seemed like a life time to him. Neither one of them spoke but he could hear the other man's breath quickening the longer they did. Gaara felt a boost in his ego about it, knowing that even he being next to the stunning blonde caused an effect on him. Gaara flicked his eyes towards Naruto's lips and raised his hand so his thumb could trace them. Naruto looked back at him curiously, waiting to see what Gaara would do next.

"I should get back to work…" Naruto breathed out, Gaara smirked and shook his head. He knew the man didn't want to leave, he was enjoying the tension between then just as much as he was. He could practically feel the anticipation rolling off Naruto in waves.

"Hmmmmmm, is that so?" Naruto meekly nodded and Gaara pulled the blonde's chin towards him so their lips could nearly touch. Gaara could smell a mixture of cinnamon and honey coming from Naruto and he found it intoxicating. Both men kept the distance, both men waiting to see who would close the small gap between them.

"I'll be late…" Gaara chuckled at his feeble attempts to excuse himself. He felt the urge to touch the nurse but resisted, he wanted to take things slowly and get to know the man. Frustration crossed the lightly scared man's face and suddenly Gaara felt soft lips crash down on his. Gaara smirked into it, feeling triumphant that he had made the other man crack before he did. Naruto's kiss was soft but aggressive and Gaara happily co-operated, wrapping his hand in the other's hair and pulling their heads closer together so he could control the kiss. He moaned when the mixture of sweet honey and cinnamon touched his tongue and bit down on the blue eyed nurse's lip. Naruto groaned, placing his hand on the side of Gaara's face. Gaara slowly pulled away, his breath ragged from their kiss and Naruto looked up at him, his cheeks flustered again and eye's hooded.

"You should get going Naruto" blue eyes widened and Gaara held back a frustrated groan as he watched him bite his bottom lip. He placed a light peck on Naruto's bruised lips and smiled, wiping away a stray stand of hair. "Dinner again tomorrow?"

"Sure!" Naruto replied a bit too enthusiastically. Naruto stood up and Gaara winked at him as he brushed his uniform down. "Um…that was…nice"

"Go before you get in trouble" Gaara growled out, his eyes intense and hands fisted. He was fighting the urge to pull Naruto back down on the bed with him and run his hands over every inch of his body.

"I'm charge nurse…I won't get in trouble" Gaara flopped back down on the bed, breathing in slowly and eyes closed.

"That's not what I meant Naruto" silence cut through the room as it sunk in what Gaara was implying. He heard Naruto shuffle his feet back and forth and then a light kiss on his lips.

"See you around Gaara" Naruto smiled cheekily and left him in the room alone. Gaara sighed, it had been a long time since he had this kind of intensity with someone else and he wondered what it would be like in the future considering it had only been a few days since the younger man barged into his office. Gaara lay down on the bed properly, a sleep didn't sound too bad after their tension filled encounter and if he went out of the room now he was pretty sure his siblings would hunt him down and drag every detail out of him. He closed he eyes, his tongue flicking out to taste the left over remains of their kiss and smiled. Things were definably going to be interesting in Konoha.


	5. Exclusive

Naruto stared at the screen of his phone, his hands shaking and eye's wide at the number on it. It had been years since his brother's name had shown on his phone and seeing it now shook him to the core. Naruto loved his brother, he really did but he was next in line to take over the clan and as it stood Naruto was disowned. So to see Kurama's name only meant one thing, they wanted something. He moved his thumb over the screen, hovering over the answer button but eventually clicked the ignore one. He had worked too hard getting to where he was now and he would never let himself be dragged back into that world. His phone began to ring again, his voicemail calling to tell him a message had been left. Naruto placed the phone on the desk in front of him, his hands fisted in his hair in frustration. This wasn't what he needed right now and if he was smart he would delete the message before even listening to it, but Naruto wasn't known to think out his decisions. He picked the phone back up and dialled his voicemail, listening nervously to the automated voice telling him he had one new message. Kurama's voice was just as gruff as he remembered and Naruto felt his heart clench at how professional he sounded, it was like Naruto wasn't even his brother.

"_Naruto, Call me back I have business to discuss with you"_ it was short and straight to the point and Naruto shook his head, deleting the message quickly. The only person he still talked to was his mother Kushina. She was a sweet but aggressive woman and he loved her dearly. When she found out about his disownment she had gone out and brought him an apartment, stocked it with furniture and food and left him a small fortune much to his father's displeasure. Minato couldn't argue with Kushina when it came to her youngest son, they we're too much alike and she refused to cut Naruto out of her life. He flicked through his contact's, hoping that his mother could give him some answers about the unexpected phone call. After a few rings her voice floated though the phone bringing a smile to his face.

"_Naruto! Don't tell me you're ringing to cancel on me next week! It's been to long since I last saw you" _Naruto laughed, his mother always did have a flair for dramatics, it was probably why she was attracted to Minato and right now she sounded like Naruto was breaking her heart.

"No mum, I just…" He didn't know how to ask, she knew she would go off like a fire cracker about the call. "Kurama rang me…"

"_WHAT, I've told that son of mine numerous time's to not even think about calling you! You have your own life now and I won't have this ridiculous clan nonsense messing anything up for you!"_ Naruto couldn't help but flinch, her voice was beginning to raise and he knew soon enough she would be yelling down the phone.

"I didn't answer it mum, I know better than that" he was met with silence on the other end "He said he has business to discuss with me, I was just wondering if you knew anything"

"_Now you listen here Naruto, you do not worry a single hair on your head and don't you even think about calling Kurama back! As far as you're concerned there is no business to discuss!" _Naruto chuckled as he heard something break in the back ground, obviously his mother had thrown something as usual when she became angry or frustrated _"Leave him to me Naruto, I'll sort him out and make sure he doesn't bother you again!"_

"It's alright mum, I won't call him back so you don't need to get involved I just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything serious" There was another loud crash and a male yell in the background, Naruto could make out that it was his brother and couldn't help but smirk; his mother didn't get the nickname the red hot-blooded habanero for nothing. There was another yell and more thing's breaking.

"_Sorry Naruto, where were we?" _ Naruto looked at his watch, he was meant to be starting his rounds so he needed to end the conversation. He was happy he got to talk with his mother, it had been too long since there last call.

"I have to go now mum but I'll see you next week yeah?" he saw out of the corner of his eye a mop of red hair and smiled, holding up his hand to wave the man over.

"_Of course! I've been looking forward to this for weeks!" _Gaara leaned on the side of the desk, watching Naruto with interest. It had been a few weeks since their first date and although it had been awkward due to Gaara's cold demeanour Naruto had warmed up to the man quite well and enjoyed his company; so much so they had been on quite a few date's since.

"Me to mum, I might bring someone with me is that okay?" he smirked at Gaara who glared at him, obviously not impressed with the blonde deciding that he was to meet his mother without talking to him first.

"_Of course! You know I love meeting your friends" _Naruto picked up on the fact that his mother had called the person a friend, someone was obviously in the room with her. Kushina was very careful when it came to Naruto and his life, she never let any information about his life slip out to the rest of their family as she believed they would try pull him back into the family folds so the less they knew the better.

"Alright, see you then mum. Love you" he heard his mother reply back with a quick I love you and hung up the phone. "So what are you doing next Wednesday night?"

"Going to dinner with you and your mother it seems" the green eyed surgeon scowled. Naruto's smile widened, he was worried Gaara would object.

"Are you sure?" Gaara unfolded his arms and leaned down so he was eye level with the sitting Naruto.

"Do I even have a choice?" Naruto placed a light peck on Gaara's lips and shook his head, a triumphant look on his face.

"Nope!" Naruto stood up, noticing they had drawn attention to themselves. That was the only downside to working in the hospital, everything was everyone's business and right now his budding relationship with Gaara was the newest gossip. "I'll see you for lunch yeah?"

"I have a meeting this afternoon but your more than welcome to come over to mine tonight" this time it was Gaara's turn to chuckle. Naruto had spent the past few weeks avoiding Gaara's siblings who seemed to be relentless in their pursuit to get to know him. He didn't mind, it was more the fact that he found the pair very bold and intimidating sometimes. "Don't worry Temari and Kankuro are going over to Shikamaru's and I doubt they'll be back tonight"

"Really? I'm surprised Shikamaru can't stop commenting about how annoying he finds Temari" Gaara narrowed his eyes and Naruto felt confused. "Did I miss something?"

"I walked in on those two on my couch, I'm still deciding whether or not to burn the thing and by a new one" Naruto's jaw dropped, never in his life had Shikamaru expressed any interest in a women. The neurosurgeon always complaining about how difficult they were.

"You're kidding me right?" Gaara glared down at Naruto, clearly unamused at his interest.

"Do I look like I'm kidding Naruto?" Naruto shuddered under the man's intense gaze. Somehow the man always managed to get under his skin and make him feel as if his stomach was on fire.

"Alright, I'll see you tonight then what time do you finish?" Naruto pulled out his roster and flicked over it "I finish at eight tonight"

"I'll be gone by five so just come over whenever you're ready" he placed a kiss on Naruto's cheek causing the nurse to blush. Without another word Gaara turned his back on Naruto and walked towards the elevator and Naruto let out the breath he was holding. So far their relationship had been pretty tame, both men wanting to take it slow and get to know each other but Naruto was struggling with the obvious sexual tension between them, it was only a matter of time before Naruto lost control of himself and pounced on the man and he only hopped he didn't embarrass himself tonight.

….

Gaara looked up at the clock, a nervous smile on his face. Naruto was running a little bit late and he was hoping he hadn't been stood up. He had made sure Temari and Kankuro had gotten the message when her threatened to drag them to the airport kicking and screaming if they didn't give him his apartment for the night. Part of it was because he wanted to jump Naruto's bones and the other he thought it was time the blonde fox came clean with him about his family. Gaara was at the tipping point he felt, he was deciding whether or not to make their relationship exclusive but he always didn't want to take on something he couldn't handle. He flicked a tea towel over his shoulder as he stirred the pot of pasta in front of him. He would have cooked Naruto's favourite; Ramen, But he was far too under skilled to make a decent pot of the stuff. There was a light knock at the door and Gaara grabbed out a bottle of wine quickly from the fridge and poured two glasses. He opened the door and felt as if his heart skipped a beat. Naruto was standing there in plain black slacks and a silk button up orange shirt, Gaara didn't understand how the man could wear such a bright colour but the blonde pulled it off well. Naruto's hair was its usual unruliness and his checks were tinted pink as if he had been running.

"Sorry I'm late!" Naruto panted out and Gaara couldn't help but wonder if that's how Naruto would look under him, pink faced and breathless.

"Its fine, dinners just about done" he held out his hand to let Naruto pass and the two made their way to the kitchen "I hope you like pasta"

"Smell's delicious!" Gaara handed Naruto glass of wine, his eyes racking over the built man's frame. "Hey quit being a pervert" Gaara raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, turning his attention back to the pot on the stove. There was a silence between them as Gaara plated up the dishes, placing one in front of Naruto and sat down next to him. He began to feel nervous, wondering when the right time to bring up Naruto's family was. "You seem distracted Gaara"

"I want to ask you something Naruto…" he saw the man shift uncomfortably a drain his wine quickly. Gaara thought it was cute how he scrunched his nose up with the bitter after taste. "I like you Naruto, so much so that I've been thinking about making this exclusive but I need to know"

"About my family?" Naruto cut him off, his lips pursed as he poured himself another glance. "I get it, I've been waiting for this conversation ever since the night Sasuke interrupted our dinner"

"I don't want to offend you in anyway Naruto…" Gaara began to feel guilty. Naruto had entered his apartment like a walking sun and now the man sat next to him looking deflated.

"No, it's fine. You need to make up your mind if I'm worth the trouble or not, I get it" Naruto took a bite of his food and his smile came back "This tastes amazing by the way"

"Thank you…" Gaara found himself lost for words, he didn't know where to start.

"Well I guess I should start from the beginning right?" Naruto tapped his fingers on the marble top or the bench. "My real name is Naruto Namikaze, second son to Minato Namikaze, the head of the Namikaze mafia clan" Gaara felt himself more curious then wary which he took as a good sign so far. "I have an older brother called Kurama or as a lot of people call him the nine tail fox and my mother is Kushina Uzumaki"

"You have your mother's last name?" Naruto nodded, taking another bite of his food quickly.

"I changed it when I left. I was disowned you see…" Gaara stared at Naruto in shock who was looking a bit sheepish "I'm an embarrassment to my clan, they see me have little to no use since I decided to follow a career in nursing…it's not manly enough apparently"

"What bullshit, you're an amazing at what you do" Naruto flicked his eyes to Gaara's plate, encouraging him to eat as well.

"That's not how the clan see it. You see being the second son my role was meant for me to be married off to form alliance's and crap like that but by becoming a nurse I would have been seen as weak and undesirable so my father told me if I left to pursue it to never come back and that's exactly what I did" Gaara could tell it was a raw wound for Naruto, the man tried to shrug it off as it was nothing but Gaara could see the pain behind his blue eyes "I made the right choice, that life was never for me. So that's what I did. My mother though she immediately supported me, set me up with my own place and kept in contact and after a few months old man Jiji took me in. I hated that I was causing trouble between my mother and Minato so made sure I could support myself and well here I am"

"So you haven't talked to them since?" Naruto cringed and Gaara could tell he was trying to hold something back. "No…but Kurama rang me today, I didn't answer and he left a voicemail"

"So you rang your mother?" Naruto nodded and began to push his food around his plate, his appetite diminishing

"Yeah, I wanted to know if she knew why he contacted me after so long. Don't get me wrong I would have loved to talk to my brother but he would never go against my father so he was only ringing about family business which I have no interest it" Gaara sat in silence for a few moments, his mind processing all the new information and he became surprised that it hadn't put him off the man. Instead it made him admire him. Gaara thought he had it bad with his father but here was a man who was so passionate about his career he turned his back on his family completely, he made a better life for himself against defying odds. "I'll leave if you want me to…I'll understand"

"No Naruto, I don't want you to go" Naruto went to argue but Gaara cut him off by slamming his lips down on the bewildered mans in an aggressive, lust filled kiss. Naruto groaned into it and pulled himself into Gaara, his hips rocking against the older man's causing Gaara to grip his back tightly and moan. "Stay with me tonight" he whispered, breaking the kiss for a split second before attaching his mouth to Naruto's neck, sucking on certain spots that Gaara knew were sensitive. Gaara lifted Naruto onto the bench, pushing the plates off it in one fowl swoop, he didn't care about the mess all he knew was he needed to man in front of him desperately.

"Are you sure about this Gaara?" Naruto breathed out shakily. Gaara growled into the man's neck, biting down to cause a light bruise just above his collar bone. He loved how Naruto responded to his actions, the way the blue eyed fox leaned into his touches was driving him mad.

"Bedroom, now" there was a determined and almost feral look in Gaara's eyes that made Naruto bite his bottom lip as he nodded in agreement. Gaara picked the man off the bench as if he weighed nothing, his lips back on Naruto's bruised ones, their tongues fighting for dominance. Naruto rolled his hips into Gaara's again and clawed with one hand at his belt. The two men overcome by their unfulfilled lust. "Not yet my little fox…I want to have some fun with you first" He reached the end of the bed and placed Naruto on it softly. The blonde scooted back and Gaara smirked down at him. He always did love a good game of cat and mouse.


	6. The red hot habanero

A/N: Hello to all those reading! i just want to thank those who have followed this story!

Also i feel as if i can take this story in two ways, the first that later on Naruto and Sasuke remain rivals and both oppose marriage OR Sasuke has feelings for Naruto which may throw a little Naru/Sasu in the mix but it wont be a crazy/mental sasuke, will be more along the lines of winning Naruto over. So let me know what you think!

...

The week had gone too quickly for Gaara's liking. For one he felt he had made barely any progress with Konohamaru's case as he had confined himself to his office while he poured over similar cases. He had examined every aspect of every case from the successes to the failures, exploring every complication that surgeons had come across during their attempt at removing similar tumours. Gaara wanted to make sure he was prepared for and nasty surprise the cancerous mound could throw at him and it was a long and tedious process. Kankuro had also spent quite a bit of time with him, explaining to him how each possible nerve severed could affect the young boy's brain so Gaara knew exactly what to avoid. He was thankful that it seemed to be receding a bit and the rate would put surgery in line for a few months' time. Gaara had also discussed with Sakura about increasing the chemotherapy dosage again but she had refused, saying that he had pushed the boundaries last time he did it and if he went behind her back she would drag him in front of the board for malpractice. Gaara would never admit it to her but he was happy he kept her on the case, he knew he could get carried away when he became too frustrated at the slow process and having Sakura around kept him in line. The second thing he was not looking forward to was his dinner with Naruto and Naruto's mother tonight. He was nervous, they had only been exclusive for a week and he was a bit worried it was too soon but Naruto had explained to him that his barely saw his mother and he wanted her to meet him so she could put a face to the name over the telephone. Another reason Gaara was nervous about the meeting was that parent's always seemed to take an immediate dislike to him, he was never sure why though.

"Relax Gaara, mum won't bite" he glared at his new blue eyed boyfriend who was smiling brightly. Gaara could see how much it meant to him spending time with his mother, as it got closer to the dinner the more Naruto's energetic personality had increased; not that Gaara was complaining as it had led to a few quickies in his office every now and then.

"I'm not worried about her bite, I'm worried she won't like me" he mumbled under his breath. He knew he was acting a bit out of character and his usual professional manor had diminished but Gaara couldn't help but feel out of his depth. Put a scalpel in his hand and he felt like a god, put him in front of a boyfriend's parent and he wanted to hide behind a rock. Naruto squeezed his hand, an encouraging smile on his face.

"Naruto!" the two men turned to where a sweet and enthusiastic voice came from. Gaara gaped as Naruto jumped out of his seat and embraced a women he would never had picked as Naruto's mother. Instead of having blonde, sun like hair like her son the small petite woman had a deep red colour. Her complexion was pale but it made her violet eye's the centre of focus and they were shown off by a black clip that held her hair out of her face. Gaara could see no resemblance in them what so ever and he began to question if Naruto was adopted. "Now where is this new boyfriend of yours?" Gaara shifted awkwardly in his seat, trying to draw attention away from himself.

"Mum this is Gaara Sabaku, Gaara this is my mother Kushina Namikaze" Gaara stood up and gave the shorter women a small bow to show his respect but was taken by surprise when she pulled him into a warm and engulfing hug.

"None of that formality nonsense! It's wonderful to meet you Gaara!" she pulled away from him and held him at arm's length, her eyes examining him and Gaara wondered if this is what his patients felt like during an examination. "You've done well for yourself Naruto! He's much handsome than that Kiba you were with!"

"Mum! Kiba is still my friend be nice" Gaara raised an eyebrow at Naruto at hearing he was still friends with his ex. In his past experience ex's as friends usually caused some sort of trouble.

"Alright alright, Sorry Naruto" Gaara pulled a chair out for her and she smiled at him and sat down. "And a gentleman to! This one really is a keeper!"

"Mum!" Gaara couldn't help but chuckle. Naruto was looking flustered, his eyes wide and cheeks pink with embarrassment which Gaara found rather adorable.

"So what's been happening you two! Tell me something interesting" Gaara now saw the resemblance between mother and son. He may not have her looks but he most certainly had her personality, right down to the short attention span.

"Not a lot really, Gaara's made progress on Konohamaru's case though" Kushina turned her attention back to Gaara after she waved over a waiter and ordered a bottle of wine for the table.

"That's great to hear! I was so upset when I heard Jiji's grandson had taken ill so badly" Gaara looked between the two relations. He had heard Naruto call the old head of hospital Jiji previously but he had assumed that was because the man had taken him in.

"Did you know Dr Sarutobi to?" Kushina nodded, taking a small sip of her wine. He watched as she flicked her eyes to Naruto, brief disappointment in them.

"Has Naruto told you nothing about me? Naruto I'm appalled!" Naruto shook his head, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"We've only been dating exclusively for a week mum and we've both been a bit busy with work so it's hard to find time to talk" Kushina sighed, her face showing a flicker of sadness.

"I studied under Tsunade for a little while who was Jiji's apprentice. I was an orphan and was working two jobs plus medical school to support myself and Jiji took me in, just like he did Naruto" it took a lot to shock Gaara, he had seen things not many people could see. Done surgery's that could shock a room full of experienced surgeons and had come from a dysfunctional family but to hear Naruto had a similar life to what his mother had surprised him. It was like Naruto had taken over his mother's dream in life. "That's all in the past now though, I met Minato in my first year and that man swept me off my feet and now here I am, two wonderful children and a husband I love deeply"

"You mean one wonderful child mum" Naruto laughed. Kushina poked her tongue out at her son and the two laughed together. Gaara gave them a genuine smile, he was enjoying himself in the non-judgemental environment.

"Kurama isn't that bad Naruto, although I will admit you're my favourite!"

…

Naruto loved being around his mother, her warmth and brightness was infectious and whenever he was around her he felt as if there was nothing wrong in the world. He knew Gaara had felt a bit out of place at first but after Kushina had made the effort to push past the nervous man's boundaries he saw his shoulders relax and a genuine smile on his face. Naruto sat back, enjoying his mother and new boyfriend banter between each other; Gaara explaining to her all the complicated surgeries he had done in the past. Kushina had always been fascinated by medicine and Naruto felt a bit of guilt that she had never pursued it past her first year. She had always wanted to but after having Naruto she realised that it would be impossible to do seven years of medical training and help run a clan family. So she chose her husband and children, giving up her career dreams. Naruto believed that's where his passion for medicine had come from, it was like his mother's love for the career had been passed onto him. Her dream had become his and he knew that's why she supported him so much, she didn't want to see him compromising his life for the one she had chosen.

"So Gaara tell me, have you and my son done the deed yet" Naruto chocked on his drink, his eye's wide. Naruto knew his mother was brash but he never expected her to bring anything like that up.

"Mum!" Naruto choked out. His throat sore from the bitter liquid going down his throat the wrong way.

"You're a grown man Naruto, I just want to make sure you two are being safe that's all" Naruto looked over to Gaara awkwardly and mouth and 'I'm sorry' to him.

"We are being safe Kushina" Naruto was amazed, Gaara could have avoided answering but he did anyway. "I like your son very much so his safety is my top priority"

"Excellent, because if you ever hurt him I'll have you killed" Kushina looked Gaara dead in the eye, he gaze stern and unfaltering. Gaara looked at Naruto for some reassurance but he just gave him a weak smile. If he was honest he wouldn't put it past his mother, she was a lovely person but did have a fiery temper, especially when it came to her family. "Relax, I'm just joking…"

"Ha-ha…so how about that desert yeah?" Naruto mumbled, picking up his menu and suddenly wishing he was anywhere but here.

"I can't, sorry Naruto but you father has a late meeting tonight so I've got to get going" Naruto's face dropped. He was hoping he could have at least spent another hour with the woman who brightened up his darkest days but he knew she would never be late when it came to his father. "You two go for it though, dinner is one me so order whatever you like" Kushina stood up and Naruto and Gaara copied. Naruto placed a kiss on her mother's cheek and nestled into her while giving her a hug. He didn't know when he would see her next "Cheer up kiddo, well see each other again soon"

"I know, I just hate not being able to see you every week" he heard his mother sigh and pull away from him, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"I know it's hard but just remember I love you alright" Naruto's smile returned and Kushina turned to Gaara "And you…you look after my baby boy"

"I promise I will" Naruto watched the two share a hug and his sadness disappeared. He was relieved it went well. Naruto would never tell Gaara but when she had met Kiba she had tried to stab the man in the hand with a fork for grabbing Naruto inappropriately in front of her. She had warmed up to Gaara rather quickly though which meant she had approved of him. Naruto watched his mother's retreating back as he felt Gaara's hand's slid around his waist and his chin rest on his shoulder.

"How about we skip desert and you come back to mine?" Naruto felt his stomach tighten at the idea and his heart skipped a beat.

"I guess you deserve a treat for putting up with my mother all dinner" Gaara chuckled in his ear and placed a light kiss on his neck.

"She was joking about having me killed right?" Naruto spun around to face Gaara, a cheeky smile on his face as lightly gave his boyfriend a teasing kiss.

"Whatever you feel safer believing Sabaku" Naruto took a step back and grabbed his coat before heading towards the front door. Gaara following behind him, his face pale and uneasy. "Don't hurt me and you won't have to find out" Gaara sighed, shook his head and grabbed Naruto's hand in his.

"I guess I'm stuck with you then my little fox" Naruto wacked Gaara playfully in the head, a bemused look on his face. He was glad he brought Gaara along because in Naruto's mind if he could withstand his mother he could definitely take on his father if he ever needed to.


	7. Enter Kurama

Kurama was not a patient man, although he could be considered fair he did have a mean streak in him that earned him the name the nine tailed fox. He never understood where it came from but it was a name he welcomed as it caused his rivals to quake in their shoes at the very mention of it. Mixed with his broad shouldered, six foot four physique, his blazing red eyes and matching hair Kurama was an overall intimidating man. Those who were close to him though knew he had a softer side to him. A rational that crossed over into his business sense that not only protected his family by making thought out decisions but also protected his clan. Currently though his patience was on a thin cord which was displayed by the smashed cell phone on the ground that he had thrown in frustration. He had been trying for day's to get a hold of his younger brother Naruto but the man was either avoiding his calls or had blocked his number altogether and it didn't help that their mother refused to help him get in contact. Kurama sat down at his father's desk and placed his head on it. He didn't know what to do, of course he could always go to the hospital himself, force the younger version of their father to sit down and explain things but facing his mother's wrath was bad enough the last time. For years Kurama and his father had respected Kushina's request to leave Naruto be, to let him live the life he wanted. Everyone saw he was to kind hearted of a soul for the family business so they agreed, watching over him from afar but now things had become too dangerous and it was time to bring him home; it was the only option to keep their estranged loved one safe. Over the past year Minato and Kurama had been hearing whispers of a new mafia making themselves known but they seemed like shadows in the background until recently. Highly established clan officials had been going missing and turning up dead weeks later and after gaining enough Intel it all pointed to this new mafia. The Akatsuki mafia, made up of various members of ex mafia members from all around had definably been making a name for themselves and Kurama was becoming increasingly worried. The most recent murder had been from the Hyuga clan, an estranged brother of the head of the clan Hiashi which indicated they were going after anyone they could to weaken the prominent mafias. Kurama was fairly certain they had begun targeting Naruto from the information given to him by Jiraiya as he had witnessed on many occasions suspicious members in noted Akatsuki coats around the hospital he worked at. Minato had put precautions in place the second he found out, sending Tsunade out of the country while Kakashi could take over and control hospital security more tightly. Although Tsunade had only agreed on a short period it was better than nothing.

"Still not answering your calls?" Kurama looked up at the smooth voice of his best friend Itachi Uchiha. No one would have guessed it thanks to numerous news reports about an Uchiha-Namikaze feud but the two clans were actually quite close.

"I think the damn brat has blocked my number" Kurama growled out. Itachi let a knowing smile slip from his usual stoic expression. He had been watching his closet friends increasing frustration every day and he could understand why.

"He's always been a stubborn one, I saw him a few weeks ago" Itachi sat down in the chair across from Kurama as the red haired man picked his head up quickly. "Although the reunion was short live, Sasuke couldn't help himself"

"You never thought to mention this sooner?" Kurama sighed and held out his hand expecting Itachi to hand over his phone, he hoped Naruto would answer if he thought it was the Uchiha calling.

"I don't think so! My phone will end up like yours and I happen to be quite attached to it at the moment" Red eye's narrowed at the striking raven haired man in front of him. He didn't have time to play games. "Naruto will be fine, he barley leaves the hospital and by the looks of things his relationship is going well so there isn't any time when he's alone"

"Relationship?" That was news to Kurama, he'd have to talk to Kakashi about his lack of information about it.

"I thought you knew?" Itachi began to look almost bored, he had only found out due to Sasuke having a fit about Naruto being with someone other than him.

"No…who is he?" Kurama began to feel his protectiveness increase, his need to contact his brother even more. With everything going on he didn't feel comfortable about anyone new getting close to the blonde.

"Some hot shot surgeon…Gaara I think his name is, don't worry he's clean, nothing to interesting really the guy spends his life working. He's worse than Naruto from what I've heard" Kurama felt himself calm a little bit. Itachi did have a point, Naruto threw himself into relationships with all his heart so he highly doubted that he was ever alone.

"Alright…but if you see him again tell him he needs to contact me or our father" Itachi nodded and gazed around the room. Picking up on the scattered pieces of paper and various shattered objects.

"Come on Kurama, you need a drink" he shook his head. His mind racing at all the possibilities that could go wrong in such a short amount of time "Look Kurama, your far too stressed at the moment and if you keep working like this you won't get anywhere to soon. Let's go for a drink and throw a few ideas around that way"

"Fine, but your buying" Kurama stood up and looked over to his phone glumly, it was the third one he had broken this week "I need a new phone first though"

…..

Naruto's cheeks felt warm as he finished off his second beer, his nose tingling with a slight numbness. It had been awhile since his group of friends had all found time to catch up together properly and Naruto had dragged Gaara along who looked out of place amongst the lively bunch. Naruto was also very aware that his boyfriend occasionally sent warning glances towards Kiba if he came to close. Neji seemed to be unusually quiet though, the man was usually reserved but he would always join in every now and then; but tonight he seemed quite distant, as if his mind was elsewhere.

"Hey where's Sasuke?" Shikamaru questioned. It had been awhile since they had all seen him, except for the time at the restaurant but the Uchiha usually turned up when they all managed to meet up considering how rare it was with their conflicting schedules.

"He said his brother has him under house arrest or something" Sakura sighed, a disappointed look on her face. Naruto never understood what she saw in him, even from a young age she had been slightly obsessed with Sasuke, following him around hoping one day he would notice her. Naruto on the other hand spent his days avoiding him but Sasuke had always shown up where he was and picked a fight. Naruto knew what he meant by house arrest though, he had been under one many times when he was younger; it meant something big was happening in the mafia world and Itachi must have thought Sasuke was in the line of fire somehow.

"I suggest a drinking competition!" the group groaned. Lee was the enthusiastic one of the group, most of the time it was harmless but they had been convinced one to many times into his crazy competitions.

"I'll pass Lee, I'd rather not have a hangover!" Ino exclaimed. The rest of them nodded in agreement. Lee looked downtrodden but after a while he went back to his usual self.

"Neji…are you okay?" Naruto turned his attention, his quietness beginning to worry him. Neji nodded but there was a wavering in his eyes. "Come with me to the bathroom?"

"I'll come to" Kiba spoke up, he was quickly silence by Gaara's intimidating glare. "Actually I think I'll stay here and catch up with Hinata" the Hyuga heiress blushed, a small smile creeping up on her face and Naruto began to wonder if there was something between them. The idea of them together seemed to fit well in his mind, Kiba was outspoken and a bit on the rough side it would do him well to have someone like Hinata keeping him a bit more levelled. Neji followed Naruto to the bathroom, but instead of going in he dragged him out a back door where smokers usually went.

"What's going on Neji" the long haired man dropped his posture, his shoulders slumping forward and Naruto knew immediately something was seriously wrong.

"You know how Hinata's parents took me in when I was younger…when my father disappeared" Naruto nodded, his body turned towards Neji so his friend knew he was actively listening to what he was saying "Well that wasn't entirely true…My father was a wanted man"

"What? That doesn't sound right!" Naruto searched his friends eye's, looking for it to be lie. He knew Hinata and Neji were a part of the Hyuga clan but it was assumed Neji's father had been missing, presumed dead.

"It happened the night someone tried to kidnap Hinata, he fought off her attackers and accidentally killed one of them…The police were the first on the scene and instead of my father being brought in for interrogation he ran and has been running ever since…well until now" a tear dropped from Neji's eye and Naruto pulled him into a hug. He had been too young to remember about the kidnap attempt so it was new to him. "My father's body turned up yesterday, a bullet wound to the head…people are saying it's a mafia hit"

"But I don't understand, who would do that! The only mafias around here are the Uchiha's and my father's and they all have an alliance!" Neji shrugged, his face solemn.

"There's been quite a few bodies turning up lately, murdered in the same fashion. Everyone is on high alert" Naruto's mind began to reel. Everything was adding up. Kurama trying to call him, Sasuke under house arrest and the unusual amount of security at the hospital lately.

"I'm so sorry Neji, is there anything I can do?" Neji sighed and shook his head. He looked almost as if a piece of him was gone, like he was an empty shell of his usual intelligent self.

"No Naruto. Just…Just look after yourself okay" Naruto pulled Neji into a comforting hug. "I think I'm just going to head home, make sure Hinata gets home safe for me will you?"

"Of course Neji" the man put his hands in his pocket and hung his head before pulling his jacket hood up. Naruto remained in the same place for a while and a sudden guilt struck him. If he was in danger that also meant Gaara was. Right from the start Gaara had expressed his apprehension about Naruto's ties to a Mafia family and Naruto had promised they had all be cut except for his mother and now it seemed he was going to be dragged through whatever mess they had gotten themselves into just by association.

"Naruto…" Right then his world seemed to cave in around him. He must have been so stupid to think he could have disregarded his past, pretending that it didn't exist and that he had any chance of a normal future. No matter what he did or where he went his family would hang over his head, destroying anything good he created. Naruto spun around, his chest heaving at the overwhelming anxiety that began to strike him. Kurama stood in front of him, his red eyes watching him cautiously as he took a step towards him "Breath Naruto…"


	8. Akatsuki who?

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews guys! Keep them up so I know my writing isn't getting slack! It appreciate them greatly and it's such a great feeling knowing people are enjoying this!

…

Naruto sat with his head between his legs outside the bar as he attempted to control his breathing to prevent a full blown panic attack. Kurama stood in front of him still, his face full of concern that made Naruto feel uneasy. It had been years since he had seen his bother and now the man was in front of him, suddenly caring about his welfare as if the past years of abandonment had never happened. Naruto kept his eyes closed, concentrating on each intake and exhale of breath as if it soothed him, attempting to slow his mind down from reeling again.

"Are you feeling better?" Kurama sounded unsure to Naruto. It was an awkward situation and it seemed both brother was thrown off guard by the chance encounter, neither one knowing what to say.

"Yeah, I think so" Naruto leaned his head back against the cobble brick wall. It amazed him how one minute he could have everything he ever wanted at his finger tips and the next it was like he was grasping at straws. "You called me because I'm in danger right?"

"Yes…" the response was strained and Naruto could have sworn Kurama looked guilty for a second but shrugged it off. His brother had never cared before so the chances of him caring now were slim. "How did you know?"

"Neji, he told me his father was murdered and that there have been similar crimes the past few months. Mix that with Sasuke being on house arrest it means something serious is going on" Red eyes met blue and the two brothers sighed at the same time. Naruto knew Kurama would rather have this conversation elsewhere but after this Naruto planned to never see the man again, even if it broke his heart. "How bad is it then?"

"There have been Akatsuki sightings at the hospital you work at, to many to be considered a coincidence" Kurama sat down next to him and both men stared up at the sky. They feel into a comfortable silence, neither one speaking as they enjoyed the brief moment together.

"I've never heard of them before" Naruto searched through his brain, trying to think of anyone suspicious at the hospital that stood out to him but as it was he barely left the oncology ward so the chances he noticed was slim.

"They are a group made up of rouge mafia members, they've been pretty quiet until now" It made sense to Naruto. If he was building up a new mafia laying low until a sufficient following was established would be the way to go.

"I guess it really is impossible to get out" Kurama wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders and leant his head next to his.

"You are out brat, you know mum would kill both me and dad if we tried drag you back in. We just want to see you safe right now that's all" Naruto didn't know why but Kurama's sudden need to protect him annoyed him. They had abandoned him, disowned him instead of supporting him and now they wanted to keep him safe. Naruto shrugged off his brother's arm and stood up.

"I can look after myself Kurama" the door opened behind them and Gaara poked his head out the door, his brows furrowed as he took in Kurama's intimidating form. "I'll be back in soon Gaara"

"Gaara? Your boyfriend?" Kurama stood tall, his shoulders back and eye's menacing as he stared the smaller man down. Gaara stepped out of the door, imitating Kurama's stance.

"Who are you?" Gaara replied, grabbing Naruto quickly by the waist and positioning him behind him in a protective manor which caused Kurama to chuckle.

"Do you seriously think I would hurt my own brother you little shrimp?" Gaara grabbed Naruto slightly tighter at the revelation but didn't back down.

"Not intentionally, but I'm guessing where ever you go there's trouble and from what Naruto has told me he has worked hard to obtain a better life and I don't want you coming back into it just to drag him back down" Naruto's guilt came back and he hung his head. How was he supposed to tell Gaara he was involved whether he like it or not, that some crazy nut job group made up of ex mafia members were staking out the very hospital they worked at to put a bullet in his head? Kurama took a step towards Gaara and leant down so they were eye level, the height comparison made even clearer by the move.

"You've got spunk kid I'll give you that" He smirked and diverted his eye's to Naruto, it was obvious their conversation was over. "Come home at some point, dad has a plan to keep you safe that he wants to discuss with you"

"Safe? What are you talking about? Why would Naruto be needed to be kept safe?" Naruto pulled at Gaara's arm gently but the man rounded on him "What the hell is going on Naruto!"

"I'll explain when we get back to yours" Gaara stepped backwards, his face becoming cold and clinical. It was obvious to Naruto he had put his barriers up. Naruto gave a small wave to Kurama who nodded in return and went back inside the bar to find Itachi.

"We are leave now then" It saddened Naruto that his night out with his friends had been cut short but when he thought about it this wasn't exactly a new experience for him. Naruto followed Gaara back into the bar and excused himself. The group of friends went to protest but once they took a look at the two men's demeanours they remained quiet, wishing the two a safe trip home.

…

Gaara hadn't spoken a word to Naruto on the way back to his. He wasn't sure what was going on but whatever it was he had a gut feeling it wasn't going to be good. Naruto had attempted to make small talk but Gaara didn't even know what to say to his boyfriend at the moment. He slammed the key into the lock and opened the door roughly. Temari and Kankuro were sitting on the couch watching a movie they had rented, they turned around at the sudden intrusion.

"Hey Gaara, what's the big deal you scared us half to death!" Kankuro yelled at his younger brother is dismay. Gaara sent him an icy glare and Kankuro averted his gaze immediately.

"You two, out now" the two already knew the drill, they had seen Gaara angry many of times and they knew to get out of the line of fire quickly.

"Shika and everyone is still down at the bar if you want to join them" Naruto's voice was soft and quite, like he was expecting the worst. It made Gaara's heart clench a small bit, he had never wanted to make Naruto sad but he couldn't help it; the thought of his fox being in danger made him see red. Kankuro and Temari quickly got there things together and went out the door, flicking Naruto a look of sympathy before closing it. Gaara went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of vodka, for some reason he knew he was going to need the strong liquid for this conversation.

"Talk…now" Gaara sat down on the couch and watched as Naruto bounced from foot to foot uneasily.

"I thought I could keep my promise to you, that my family wouldn't affect anything in my life, that it wouldn't put you or your career at risk" Gaara sighed as tears welled up in Naruto's eyes and he patted the seat next to him but Naruto shook his head and remained where he was "I guess I was delusional to think I could ever be truly free from that life, that cutting ties would be so easy but it's not and because of those ties I have a bull's-eye on my head"

"Someone's threating you?" Gaara's hand tightened around his glass, his knuckles white as anger stirred in him. "Who?"

"A group called the Akatsuki apparently. They seem to be targeting family members that are easier to get to" Naruto bit his lip and Gaara's hand began to shake, the glass in his hand weakening "Kurama said they've been seen at the hospital" The glass began to crack and Gaara took a deep breath in and put it down. The last thing he wanted was to injure his hands in anyway.

"Jesus Naruto! Why couldn't you have mentioned this before!" he didn't mean to sound so harsh. Gaara knew even if he had known about it before asking the adorable blonde out it wouldn't have changed anything for him. When it came to Naruto he was like a moth to a flame.

"I only found out tonight! I didn't ask for this Gaara and I told you that night who I was! Who my family was and yet you still decided that this is what you wanted!" Naruto yelled back at him angrily. Gaara could see Naruto was just as frustrated about the situation as he was. "I didn't want this life Gaara! I tired! I tried so damn hard to distance myself from it and I thought I had succeeded! If I had known any better I would never have let you get involved with me!"

"That isn't your choice to make Naruto!" Gaara stood up and stormed his way over to the blonde fox, his eyes hard as he placed both hands on the sides of Naruto's face shocking the man. "I couldn't have stayed away from you even if I tried! You like some annoying, gorgeous, amazing drug that I can't get enough of!" he crashed his lips down onto Naruto's surprised ones. He was sure Naruto had expected him to end things right there and then. "I'm not mad at you Naruto"

"But why? Why wouldn't you be! I could have put you in danger!" they stared intensely at each other, neither one blinking and tension rising between them. Gaara had never been so turned on in his entire life but he knew he had to explain to Naruto a few things before he dragged him off to his bedroom.

"It's the situation I'm angry about Naruto, the fact that someone is trying to harm you, to take you away from me. It shakes me to my very core that anyone would want to harm a single hair on your beautiful head" Naruto bit his lip, causing Gaara to groan. The man was completely oblivious to how the simple action affected him. "I swear Naruto that I will do everything I possibly can to keep you safe"

"I can keep myself safe Gaara, it's you I'm worried about" Once again Gaara was impressed with how selfless Naruto was. Even when his life was on the line he thought of himself last. Gaara had learnt to protect himself from a young age though, he had always been picked on due to his short stature, unique features and closed off personality. It had driven him to martial arts and just like his medical studies Gaara had excelled, becoming champion of many prominent tournaments.

"How can you protect yourself if you can't even protect yourself from me little fox?" Gaara smirked, he couldn't hold back the demon in him anymore that wanted to devour the heavenly man in front of him. He wrapped his arms around Naruto and lifted him up so he could carry him. Naruto let out a slight shriek and blushed. There was a lot more they needed to talk about but as far as Gaara was concerned it could wait, his main focus now was to make sure he traced his hands over every inch of Naruto's well-toned body and have the man fall apart by his very touch.

"Gaara? Are you sure?" his reply was a sharp bite to Naruto's neck which caused Naruto to groan and bite his lip again.

"No more talking" he scolded as they landed on the bed. Naruto looked up at him with unwavering conviction and grabbed the back of Gaara's head to mould his lips to his lovers. Both of them finally in agreement that they were both too far gone with each other for either of them to walk away from what they had started.


	9. Sasuke's intentions

Hi! I've been following your story but never had dropped a review so I'm thinking it's just proper that I tell you what I think of this fiction because you're working very hard to give us fast updates and entertain us with this story.

I like it and it's entertaining. Although I have to say there are still things to polish like sentence construction and paragraphing but those can be sort out. But I'm honestly finding this nice. I'm always looking forward to your updates and what will happen to Naruto now that his life is in danger. The story's much more inclined on how Naruto and Gaara will overcome this challenge in their lives together and I'm glad for the family-oriented theme playing here.

You should keep on writing!

A/N: addyliciousyaoi thank you so much for your review and pointing out areas of my writing that needed a bit of work. I've done my best to sort out my sentence structuring as I am aware sometimes I focus too much on description causing them to be dragged out unintentionally. I'm curious though to how my paragraphing can be fixed so if you have any ideas about that let me know. I welcome feedback like yours a lot as I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing. I'm happy you are enjoying my story so far and I hope you continue to read it!

…..

Naruto had been spending his time between the hospital and Gaara's the past few days. The conversation with Kurama popping into his mind whenever there was a chance he could be alone. He had taken precautions by always having his phone on him or having his keys between his fingers to use as an unconventional weapon. Naruto hated feeling so cornered, so trapped. Always having to look over his shoulder, being suspicious of every new person he came across and making sure that he barely left ward. The fact of it though was that Naruto was exhausted mentally. Between running the child Oncology department and making sure he was constantly aware of his surroundings was a draining process. Gaara had tried to convince him to take time off, offering to do the same and lock themselves away from the world for a few days. The idea sounded amazing to Naruto but in reality he knew it wasn't possible. Both men had commitments and they couldn't lose focus in their work just because of something happening in the outside world. Naruto looked over the care plans in front of him. A few of the patients' conditions had changed overnight resulting in a complete re-evaluation of each implementation step. Naruto looked down at his nurse's watch, he had been working hard for the past few hours. He stretched his arms out behind him and yawned, it was time for a coffee. He placed the care plans he had finished back into the right patient folders and made his way down to the small staffing kitchen on the ward. It wasn't anything flash but it was comfortable enough to have a short break in. What Naruto didn't appreciate though was the fact there was a man sitting on the small couch with his feet on the coffee table. Naruto groaned, he didn't need this of all days. How many times did he have to tell his damn family he didn't want their help and that he and Gaara could handle it between them?

"This is a staff lounge Teme" the youngest Uchiha looked up at Naruto over the newspaper he was reading. He said nothing and watched as Naruto poured himself a cup. Naruto didn't have the energy to fight with his rival today. "You want one?"

"Sure, Dobe" Naruto nodded, grabbing a spare cup from the cupboard.

"Two sugars right?" Saskue gave Naruto a small smile. Naruto had to admit they we're friends in a way. Sure they fought a lot but there we're moments that the two got along quite well. It was only when Sasuke pulled his high and mighty Uchiha routine that irritated Naruto. He sat down next to Sasuke and copied the man, placing his feet on the table as well. He took a small sip of his coffee after handing Sasuke's his one. "So why are you here? I thought you we're under house arrest"

"I am, Itachi is here talking security with Kakashi since Tsunade's back tomorrow and he wants to make sure she'll agree to what they want put in place" it brought a smile to Naruto's face at the thought of Tsunade coming back. He had missed the robust, stern woman who was like a grandmother to him.

"So why are you here…on my ward?" Sasuke shrugged, avoiding eye contact with him.

"I thought it would be interesting to see what you did all day" Naruto waited to see if Sasuke would take a jibe at his job again but it didn't come. It seemed the man was serious.

"Paper work at the moment but I can take a break if you're interested in coming down to the family room. The kids would welcome a new face" Naruto held back a laugh. The family room had some pretty spirited kids and he was sure they would latch on to Sasuke.

"Don't you have rounds or something to do that I could accompany you to? I didn't come here to play with some bratty kids" his eye's narrowed at Sasuke. The family room was one of the most important rooms on the ward. It was where the children and their families came together for a brief moment of normality. The kids played together, laughed together and for a few hours they felt like any healthy child would.

"No Sasuke you can't. My patients are protected by ethical confidentiality. And those bratty kids you're talking about are going through hell" Naruto quickly finished his coffee and turned his back on the raven haired man.

"Alright, it's not like I have anything better to do" Naruto would have objected but when he thought about it taking Sasuke could be a good thing. A part of him hopped that it could open Sasuke's eyes to what it was really like outside of his mansions walls.

…..

Sasuke followed Naruto down a series of corridors. Neither man spoke and Sasuke found the silence irritating. Not because it made him uncomfortable but because he had so much he wanted to say to the man in front of him. He had spent years trying to get Naruto's attention and all he seemed to do was push the man away. Sasuke couldn't help it, he wasn't good when it came to expressing his feelings. Naruto had always been a constant presence in his life when they were young and he eased the burden of mafia life. Whenever Naruto walked into a room it was like the whole place lit up and became engulfed in a warmth that reached into Sasuke's bones. The past years had felt like hell for Sasuke. He had heard that Naruto had left his family, causing Sasuke to be jealous. Sasuke was always torn when it came to Naruto. Half of him loved being around him and the other part stemmed from a deep jealousy. It was why at times they got along and others Sasuke couldn't hold himself back from picking on Naruto, trying to put him down so he felt better about himself. Naruto had always been given praise when he was younger. His mother always showering the boy with love and affection. Sasuke's mother did as well but his father was an over bearing man. He was always pushing Sasuke. Testing him and making him feel inferior, almost as if he wasn't worthy of the Uchiha name. Sasuke saw now though why the man had treated him so. He was hardening him for the future as there was no place in the Uchiha clan for softness; especially since he was expected to run the clan with Itachi someday. Naruto opened a door and held it open for Sasuke and they walked into a room that Sasuke felt expressed everything Naruto was. The walls were bright and colourful, covered with numerous murals obviously done by talented children. There were toys scattered from one end of the room to the other, some brand new and others well played with. There were numerous bookshelves against the walls, each shelf a different level of reading abilities. Couches of different colours were spread throughout and parents were sat down on them chatting amongst themselves. The first thing that Sasuke noticed about the occupants though were the parents. Although they looked like they were enjoying themselves he could see the dark circles under their eyes and the way their hair was messily done. They looked run down, mentally and physically. It was a stark contrast to the children who were happily playing on the floor. Even though Sasuke could see how sick they were they had a light in them that he saw reflected in Naruto.

"What are the beads around their necks for?" Sasuke asked Naruto curiously. Each child had a large necklace strung around their neck. Numerous coloured beads filled the cord and it seemed they had some importance since every child had one.

"They symbolise procedures. Each bead is one treatment, surgery or day of chemotherapy" Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. Each child's necklace had an amount of beads well over 20 and some children even and more than one necklace. "Come one, I'll introduce you" Naruto grabbed his hand and Sasuke felt his heart flutter a little bit. It was the first time they had made physical contact in years. Naruto pulled him over to a table where a few children were drawing and sat down in an empty spot. Sasuke sat next to him feeling a bit uncomfortable. He didn't have much experience with children.

"Brother Naruto!" a young boy who looked the oldest with short black hair and a long blue cape yelled. He wrapped his arms around Naruto and he watched as Naruto face lit into a bright smile. A twinge of jealousy shot through Sasuke again, he wanted Naruto to smile at him like that.

"Hey Konohamaru! It's great to see you up and out of bed!" Naruto ruffled the boy's hair. "This is Sasuke an old…friend of mine" Sasuke smirked at the boy who Naruto had introduced as Konohamaru and the boy replied by poking his tongue out at him. Naruto smacked him in the back of the head "Be nice, there just kids" he whispered before leaning over to inspect all the children's drawings.

"Is he your boyfriend Naruto?" a small girl who looked the same age as Konohamaru spoke up. She had two pigtails that stood up in a weird angle on her head.

"Of course he's not Moegi! Doctor Sabaku is!" Naruto blushed as he laughed nervously. Looking a bit uncomfortable talking about is love life with the three children in front of them.

"But I think they would make a cute couple!" she replied to Konohamaru, folding her arms across her chest.

"Hey guys come on now you know I can't discuss my personal life with you!" Sasuke felt his mind tick, an idea coming forward and he smiled slyly.

"I think we would make a cute couple to" he winked at Moegi causing her to squeal in delight. Naruto looked at him cautiously, a warning glint in his eyes. Sasuke had a feeling Naruto thought he was trying to provoke him into a fight. "But sadly Naruto's with someone else. I missed out on my chance years ago"

"So! You're here now aren't you! Dr what's his face isn't. Brother Naruto you should be with Sasuke" Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head nervously. Sasuke had seen him make that move many times, it was something the blonde did when he was embarrassed.

"Sorry Moegi but Konohamaru's right I'm with Dr Sabaku" the girl frowned and went back to work on her painting, obviously disappointed her match making didn't work.

….

Naruto left Sasuke with Konohamaru and his two friends while he made his rounds amongst his other patients and their parents. He couldn't help but be distracted though as he glanced back at Sasuke every now and then. The man had thrown him when he made the comment about them being a couple. All Sasuke had ever done to him was pick fights and try put him down and then out of the blue he indicates he has feelings for him?. Naruto ran a hand through his hair and sat down with one of the toddlers, helping the child build a tower as he watched Sasuke from a distance. Naruto had to admit it was strange the man showing up like he had, even if Itachi was here Sasuke would have usually stayed at home. It was almost as if he had been waiting for Naruto. He couldn't help but smile though as he watched his childhood rival interact with the three adolescences, helping them with their drawings and doing one of his own. Drawing was something Naruto had always taken notice of Saskue for. The man was an amazing painter, he would ever admit it to him though. Naruto had snuck into the man's room many times when his family went over to visit to flick through his various sketch books. Naruto's favourite though was a sketch of a little blonde fox, with crystal blue eyes. It was a picture Naruto had never forgotten as it resounded with him in a serene sort of way. The toddler pulled at Naruto's arm, demanding his attention and Naruto pulled the little boy into his lap. He pointed to different coloured blocks, naming each colour and encouraging the little boy to copy the words. Every so often though Naruto would avert his gaze back to Sasuke. He had definably grown since they we're eighteen. He looked toner, his arms more defined and his chest broader. He had also gained in height becoming slightly taller than Naruto. He wore a custom made suit and a blue tie that matched his blue tipped ends of his black onyx hair. Sasuke turned around and gave him a small smirk, causing Naruto to look away quickly to hide his blush. Naruto quickly convinced himself that he didn't find the man incredibly attractive. That his smirk that usually got under his skin didn't make his stomach tighten nervously. Naruto looked down at his watch and realised he had been gone for too long, the care plans needed to be finished by the end of his shift. Naruto stood up and went over to where Sasuke was, trying to keep his mind focused on anything but his rival.

"Hey, I have to get back to my paper work, you can stay here if you like or I can walk you to the elevator" Sasuke stood up quickly, waving goodbye to Konohamaru and the other two.

"I'll come with you, I'll get lost otherwise" Naruto nodded, keeping his eyes on anything else but Sasuke. He couldn't let him see that he had affected him. Sasuke followed Naruto out of the room and they awkwardly made small talk until they reached the elevator near the reception desk.

"Push the top button, it will take you to Tsunade's office" Naruto held out his hand to shake Sasuke's but it was obvious Sasuke had other ideas. He pulled Naruto towards, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist quickly and leant down to whisper in his ear.

"I meant it when I said we would make a good couple Naruto" as quickly as he grabbed him he released him. Naruto gapped at the man, his eyes wide with shock. Never in a million years did he think Sasuke would be attracted to him. Sasuke stepped into the elevator, the Uchiha smirk firmly fixed on his face. "Just think about it Namikaze" the door closed such with a slight bang, snapping Naruto out of his shocked stupor. He had let Sasuke get to close, he had let him get under his skin again. Naruto was angry at himself for being stupid enough to let another man other than Gaara embrace him intimately and he swore to himself never again. He had Gaara and no one, not even Sasuke Uchiha was going to ruin that for him.


	10. Cliff hanger

Box after box was placed in front of the nurse's station; each with Naruto's name on the delivery slips. A crowd had started to gather around the scene and Naruto couldn't help but be curious himself. Usually hospital supplies ordered would be sorted somewhere else in the hospital and then distributed neatly to reduce clutter and potential harm. Naruto was also pretty sure he hadn't ordered anything recently so the vast amount of boxes pilling up in front of him was a complete mystery. When the first box arrived Naruto had inquired where it came from but the delivery man had no clue. Once the boxes stopped flowing Naruto grabbed a box cutter and grabbed the nearest and smallest one to him.

Inside the box was numerous children's book all aimed at children three years and younger. Naruto was even more confused now, no one had mentioned a donation to him recently. He moved to the next box and found that it had similar contents, but this time aimed at an older age minority. Naruto assumed that the boxes that were the same size as the first two all held books so he moved them out of the way to reach the more heavier looking ones. This time it was a collection of brand new toys. Just like the books they were separated into various age groups. But it wasn't until the medium sized boxes that Naruto really became shocked.

Inside them were unopened, still sealed containers of electronic tablets. Never had Naruto come across such generosity and he began to suspect who the donator was. Naruto searched through each box quickly, looking for anything that could confirm is suspicions. Eventually he found a note, written neatly in cursive. Naruto would know Sasuke's writing anywhere. After all the notes he had thrown at him during school it would be hard not to.

Naruto couldn't accept the donation. It was far too expensive and he felt if he did it would lead Sasuke on. Before he contacted Sasuke though he would need to explain the situation to Tsunade. He was pretty sure the woman would want Naruto to keep the items because it was a rare occurrence for so many new things to be donated. Naruto called over an attending and quickly ask her to keep an eye on it all. It would be pretty easy for someone to come along a help themselves considering how much stuff there was.

Naruto began his trip up to Tsunade's office and let his mind wander to his childhood rival. He couldn't quite figure the man out. For years Sasuke had made a point of letting Naruto know that he felt he was below him; so why the sudden turn around. Was his family putting him up to it? What was it that Sasuke got out of such an extravagant gesture? It was obvious he was trying to get his attention but Naruto didn't understand why. After Sasuke had left that day Naruto had put the incident in the back of his mind. He convinced himself that it was just Sasuke trying to find another way of getting under his skin.

The elevator pinged and Naruto stepped out into Shizune's office which was connected to Tsunade's. Shizune gave him a small wave. She looked stressed to Naruto but he didn't blame her. Tsunade was a handful, especially since she had taken on running the hospital. There was a loud crash from inside Tsunade's office and a part of Naruto wanted to flee.

"You can go in and see her Naruto" Shizune smiled politely. Naruto knew better, she was just trying to divert Tsunade's bad mood onto him so she didn't bear the brunt of it. He made his way to the door and cautiously poked his head inside, cringing when a vase barely missed his head.

"What do you want brat!" The busty, blonde woman barked at him. Naruto closed the door behind him as her brown eyes bore into him impatiently.

"I had a delivery today and I need your permission to send it back" Tsunade sat down behind her desk roughly and leant forward. Her hands clasped together and brows furrowed.

"Why would I care about a personal delivery to you brat, that's not my concern" Naruto rocked back and forth on his heels. He was hoping that if he stayed on her good side she would agree and he could send Sasuke packing. Giving him the message that he wasn't interested in his fancy gifts.

"Well…it was more of a donation" Tsunade slammed her fist down on the table. Naruto swore he could feel the anger radiating off her and shrunk back. Usually he wouldn't back down to the woman but today she seemed more aggravated than usual.

"If it's a donation Naruto then it's hospital policy to accept it. I have more important things to do with my time then sort out such trivial matters!" Naruto sighed and made his way to the seat in front of her desk. Slumping down in the seat. "Hurry up and get out of my office brat"

"It's thousands of dollars' worth Granny Tsunade" that got her attention "Books, toys…brand new tablets"

"So what is the problem? We could never get anything close to that with the budget we have been given. Accept the damn things already" Naruto shook his head. It was a matter of principle to him.

"But it's from Sasuke Uchiha!" Tsunade groaned. She leant back in her chair, her arms falling to the side of it and head backwards.

"Naruto, I don't care who it is from. You know we can't turn away donations, especially one as big as you say" he went to protest but Tsunade held up her hand "Look at it this way, it will be like Christmas to the kids and it's about time you two put whatever differences you had aside and grow up"

"But Granny Tsunade!" there was a loud crash and Shizune ran into the room. He face was lacking colour and she was shaking. Tsunade sat up immediately as she took in her secretaries' appearance.

"What's going on Shizune!" the woman was clearly shaken as she couldn't seem to form words. "Shizune!"

"It's the nine tail fox! Kurama Namikaze!" The blood drained out of Naruto's face and the room seemed to stand still. He watched Shizune talk hurriedly but all he could hear was static. He tried to force himself to focus, to push past the white noise.

"What's happened? What's happened to my brother?" Naruto looked wildly between each women. His heart rate increasing and he could feel his heart begin to work overtime in his chest.

"Naruto…remain calm, it'll be alright" Naruto stood up and reared on Tsunade.

"Don't you dare tell me it's going to be okay? Just tell me what's going on!" Tsunade motioned for him to sit down and she looked at him with a serious expression.

"Your brother's on the way here. He has a gunshot wound to his lower abdomen and another close to his heart. From what Shizune has said he seems to be in an unstable condition and has serious blood loss" Naruto felt himself stop breathing. His eye's blurring with tears. He began to regret every negative thing he had ever said to Kurama. Wishing that he could take it all back.

"You'll operate on him won't you?" Tsunade shook her head. "Why not! You're the best there is!"

"Gaara's prepping to operate already. He's more prepared for this kind of surgery than me" Naruto was overcome with fear. Not only for his brother but also for Gaara. He sprinted out of the room quickly, ignoring the two women behind him shouting at him to stop. He didn't care, he needed to get to Gaara and quickly.

Naruto bowled his way through crowds of people, yelling sorry at them as he continued forward. He didn't have time to stop. He eventually made his way to the operating floor, busting his way into every room until he spotted a familiar head of red hair. "Gaara!"

"Naruto?" he wrapped his arms around him, tears flowing freely down his face. He had to convince him to give the surgery to someone else.

"Don't do it Gaara, let someone else take this one" Gaara pushed him away from him. He looked angry at what Naruto was asking of him.

"I can't just pass off my surgery to someone else Naruto. It's my responsibility and I'm the only one here equipped to handle this situation" Naruto let out a sob. He loved his brother and wanted him to live but Gaara didn't understand.

"They will kill you Gaara! If Kurama dies they will blame you and you won't leave that room alive!" Gaara's demeanour softened and he pulled Naruto into a hug. Clinging to him as if no one else in the world mattered to him. "Please Gaara. Don't go in that room"

"Naruto, do you trust me?" his fisted his hands into the green eyed man's scrubs. A small sob escaping his lips as he nodded yes. "Then trust me when I say I will not let your brother die"

"You don't know that Gaara! Anything could happen in there! What if the bullet hit his heart? You could be going into a no hope surgery!" Gaara kissed the top of Naruto's head and pulled away from him. He grabbed the side of Naruto's face and forced him to look into his eyes to show Naruto his conviction.

"Naruto. I will not let him die" each word was spoken with a brief pause between them to emphasise his point. Naruto bit his lip and hung his head. He could see there was no arguing with Gaara, the man was too determined. "Temari and Kankuro are with me to back me up. They are the two people in this world I would trust my life to so your brother is in safe hands and I swear to you, no matter what happens I will not leave you here alone…got it?"

"Promise me" Gaara smiled, placing a soft yet passionate kiss on Naruto's lips. Naruto didn't need to hear the words. Gaara had just said them without saying anything.

"Go wait in the observation room, your family is waiting up there for you" Naruto felt uneasy again. Of course his family wouldn't be normal and wait in the normal areas provided to them. They would want to make sure they could see everything so if something went wrong they knew exactly what went wrong and who was to blame.

"I'll be waiting for you when you get out" This time it was Naruto who initiated the kiss which left them both breathless. Naruto left the scrub room with his fingers crossed and praying to a god that he never really believed in before.


	11. Blood and family

Gaara nodded to Temari and Kankuro, indicating for them to work on the abdominal trauma while he took the heart. The anaesthesiologist gave them a thumbs up to indicate it was okay to start. Gaara grabbed a scalpel and made an incision over the bullet hole. The first thing Gaara was concerned about was getting rid of the blood that blocked his vision. A nurse came over and began to suction away the excess blood, giving Gaara his first glimpse at the damage. He could clearly see the silver, compressed bullet resting close to Kurama's heart and on further inspection he noticed it had grazed the organ. Thankfully it wasn't anything to serious but the pressure of the heart's contractions could case the gash to tear even further. Gaara gave himself time to think. He could suture it but he also wanted to make sure he increased the time of healing.

"Nurse, can you please get me a small artificial graft" the nurse nodded and quickly made her way to the other side of the room where they we're kept. By using the graft Gaara could introduce needed nutrients to the wound that would aid in the muscles healing.

"Gaara, we need your help down here" Kankuro looked up stressed and Gaara sighed. He was hoping the damage was as minimal as it was with the chest wound.

"Talk me through it Kankuro" Temari said nothing. Her brows creased as she concentrated on finding the second bullet.

"It's gone through the left lateral lobe of the liver and caused a lot of trauma" Temari, pulled the bullet out and Gaara heard the loud metallic thump of it hitting a pan.

"Can you save any of the surrounding tissue?" The nurse came back over with the graft and Gaara took it quickly. The heart was more delicate then the liver so he had no option but to entrust it to his siblings.

"I think so…" Kankuro seemed unsure. Gaara looked up quickly and shifted his eyes to Temari. She took charge, quickly pushing Kankuro out of the way to see what possibilities they had.

"I can save the surrounding tissue but I'll need to perform a partial lobectomy" Gaara was pleased she sounded confident but was also concerned. A partial lobectomy was risky as it had an increase chance of haemorrhage.

"Do what you have to but be careful with the staples" Gaara turned to the nurse again. "Get me bags of O- and quickly, I want to be prepared" he turned back to the graft, being careful that it didn't pucker as he sutured it on. He was happy with his decision, throughout the healing process the graft and sutures would slowly dissolve until all that was left was healthy regenerated tissue.

…..

Naruto sat with his mother, her hand in his as they both looked down at the operating room anxiously. Gaara seemed cool and calm but Naruto picked up on little grimaces here and there. Temari seemed to have taken over with the lower gunshot wound which caused Naruto to worry. Was that area damaged so badly that it had shaken Kankuro's confidence? Naruto shook his head trying to rid himself of such thoughts. If Gaara put his faith in them then so could he.

"What's going on Naruto?" Kushina whispered to him. Her eyes filled with unshed tears. Naruto knew she wouldn't let them fall. She was too proud, too strong for that. She would hold them in until the very end, believing that Kurama would feel and borrow her strength.

"I think Gaara's using a graft" Kushina looked at him warily. "It's a good thing mum, it means the damage is minimal. I'm guessing he's using it so Kurama will heal quicker"

"What about the other wound?" It was the first time Naruto's father Minato had spoken. Until now he had stood in the back of the room. His head with identical hair to Naruto's forward and stern. Minato was an intimidating man to those who didn't know him. But to his family he could be just as warm and bright as Kushina, maybe even more at times. That was until it came to the business of the clan. For then he was cold and calculating, earning himself the nickname, the Yellow Flash.

"I'm not too sure, Temari looks confident enough…" he tried not to show his uneasiness. He wish he knew himself the extent of it. Gaara raised his head and his eyes meet Naruto's.

"How good of a surgeon is that man?" Minato stepped forward. His eyes were calculating and cold as he watched the movement of Gaara's hands. Naruto stood up angrily, knowing what his father was thinking.

"Whatever happens you will not touch him!" Minato's posture changed into one of curiosity.

"What is he to you?" Naruto's nostrils flared. He owed nothing to his father, especially any information about his relationship. Kushina placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave him a weak smile. Naruto hung his head in shame; now was not the time to argue.

"Minato. If Naruto trusts Gaara then so do I" Minato's face softened at the voice of his wife and went to sit on the other side of her. Pulling her into a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry Kushina, I didn't mean to upset you…I'm just" Kushina gave him a knowing smile. Although her very soul seemed to be crushed she could still bathe the room in a comforting warmth.

"I Know Minato. That's our son down there and the thought of the worst happening is excruciating to think about. But I have met Gaara and he is a driven man" she squeezed Naruto's hand to reassure him.

…

Temari felt her hand begin to grow weary. She had clasped off the main vessels and was now focusing on burning any small bleeds. It was a tiring process but Gaara was counting on her to make this procedure successful. She was grateful that it was only a partial Lobectomy as it meant the tissue would eventually grow back. Gaara looked over to her and she gave him a confident smile.

After making sure she had coagulated all bleeds she placed her instruments down and took a deep breath. Before going further she needed to refocus her mind. The hard part was done but now it meant removal of the damaged tissue. Temari took a step back and a nurse ran over to give her a drink of water.

"How's it going over there?" Gaara looked at her with uncertainty due to her sudden break.

"I just need to remove the tissue then suture and staple" Kankuro looked between the two before stepping forward.

"I'll do it, you take a break Temari" She wanted to protest but a fresh set of hands would be better than her tired ones.

"I've just got to close here, I'll come over and help after" Gaara went back to his suturing and Temari took a seat in the corner. She removed her gloves and cracked her knuckles. It had been a while since she had done a non-orthopaedic surgery. She was exhausted, her hands shook due to the previous strain on them. She was thankful Kankuro had taken over because she was a mess right now.

…..

Gaara made his way up to the observation room. His feet and arm's felt lead like with exhaustion. The surgery had taken longer than expected due to a large haemorrhage that occurred while Kankuro was finishing up with the liver. Gaara hand acted quickly to control the bleed but it meant that more tissue had to be removed. Kurama had lost a lot of blood and he was thankful he had ask for blood bags or he was certain the man would have died.

Gaara opened the door and stumbled backwards when a blonde blur rushed towards him and flung into his arms. Gaara felt lighter at the embrace, his exhaustion kept at bay for the moment. He felt Naruto's arms wrap around him tightly. Gaara placed a kiss into the man's scruffy hair before pulling away to address the rest of Naruto's family.

"Your son is going to be fine. There was a complication during the surgery which left him with some blood loss but in a few days he should be fine" Gaara took in each person in the room, examining them before his eyes settled on what looked to be an older version of Naruto. The man who he assumed was Naruto's father stared back at him coolly. "He will be lethargic for those day's so please don't be alarmed"

"When can he leave the hospital?" Gaara was weary about the question. He felt if he gave them a set time frame they would try take his patient out sooner.

"Usually it would be seven days. But because of the surgery having multiple procedures I would like to keep him here longer" Minato narrowed his eyes causing Gaara to do the same. When it came to the wellbeing of his patients he was not a push over. "Your son, Mr Namikaze has a high level of trauma in his body. If he is not monitored closely he can obtain an infection which, if not picked up early on can be fatal"

"But he will be alright though?" Kushina had her hands clasped in front of her. Her tears finally flowing down her face.

"Yes, he should recover in six to eight weeks. The first bullet caused a gash in the exterior of his heart which I've placed a graft on to minimalize his recovery but we had to cut away part of his liver" Worry crossed Kushina's features and Gaara softened just like her husband Minato had "It will grow back over time but it does mean a lot of bed rest, No stress conditions and under no circumstance is he to consume alcohol"

"You seem to be a bright young man…" Gaara felt uncomfortable under Minato's interested gaze. He felt Naruto tug on his arm, his blue eyes alarmed.

"Come on Gaara, let's go" Naruto pulled him out of the room quickly. It was if the man was afraid of him being in his family's presence. Gaara didn't ask questions though, he was far too exhausted. "Home?"

"Yeah…home sounds good" Gaara brushed off the confusing way Naruto was acting. He'd ask him about it when he didn't feel like he was about to fall asleep in the middle of the hallway.


	12. Marry Sasuke?

Naruto had avoided visiting his brother. Not because he didn't want to go but because he was trying to avoid his father. Naruto didn't miss the way he looked at Gaara after the surgery. It was a look he had seen many times. It indicated when Minato wanted to bring someone into the clan fold. Because of this Naruto had also tried to keep his distance from Gaara; he didn't want his father to use him as an opening with the red head. Gaara hadn't seemed to notice though. His work load had been piling on so it was rare when the couple had time together. When they did see each other though Gaara had kept Naruto up to date with Kurama's progress and so far he seemed to be healing well.

Naruto looked down at the notes in his hand, a deep frown set on his face. His mind was too scattered to take in the numbers and he began to think it was pointless being at work. The ward suddenly became quiet causing Naruto to look up. Standing in front of him was Minato.

"Father" he acknowledged the man. Minato looked frustrated. He had obviously decided that it was him who needed to come to Naruto and not the other way round.

"We need to talk Naruto" the younger blonde put his elbow on the desk and looked up at the older one with an almost bored look on his face.

"I'm busy with work, I'll come find you later" a loud thump rung around as Minato's fist hit the counter in front of him.

"No Naruto, we do this now. I've waited around enough and with everything that has happened with Kurama I won't wait around any longer" Naruto guessed that they would eventually have this conversation and he didn't want to cause a scene in front of those in his ward.

"Alright" Naruto stood up and lead the man to the staff break room, locking the door behind him so no one could interrupt. Minato sat down on the small couch and Naruto grabbed a chair to sit opposite him. "I've already told Kurama I can look after myself"

"This isn't just about you Naruto. There is a bigger picture here and you need to stop being a selfish brat" Naruto hated how his father talked to him as if he was a child. He had thought after all these years standing on his own two feet the man would at least acknowledge him properly.

"I'm not being selfish! This has nothing to do with me, this is your problem!" Minato leant forward, his eyes cold and stern. Naruto shrunk back; it had always been hard standing up to his father.

"Naruto I need you to listen alright. I am trying to do my best to protect everyone and the only way I can do that is if we show a united front" the man had a point so Naruto remained quiet. "It's time we united the Uchiha clan and the Namikaze clan. By doing this we solidify our alliance and become stronger"

"Just get to the point already" Naruto already had guessed what his father was hinting at but he didn't want to assume. Minato laughed at Naruto's brashness that reminded him of Kushina.

"I want you to marry Sasuke Uchiha" Anger. That was the only word Naruto could use to explain how he was feeling. He tried to remain calm, to keep it at bay but he was finding it difficult. Naruto began to wonder if Sasuke knew about his father's plan. The thought made him even angrier. He knew the Uchiha had been up to something but to have the audacity to try and trick Naruto into believing that he had feelings for him was a whole new level of low.

"No" Naruto's voice shook, his anger seeping into his speech. Minato sighed and sat back on the couch.

"I know that your opposed to this Naruto but for once just stop and think" Naruto stood up, slamming the chair he was on backwards and made his way to the door. If he didn't leave now he would end up hitting his father. "Naruto! Think of your mother! She has spent the past six years protecting you! Keeping you out of the family business and harm's way. If you do this your helping return that favour to her"

"How? How is being married off to that teme be repaying her! She didn't go through all that trouble just for me to end up being married to a future mafia boss!" His hand gripped the door handle. His father had hit him where it hurt with bringing his mother into it but he couldn't let him manipulate him.

"Your mother nearly lost one son Naruto, what do you think it would do to her if she lost you? By doing this you're protecting her from the pain of losing a child" it pained Naruto's heart at the thought of his mother losing him. "I won't force you Naruto, I wouldn't do that to you. All I ask of you is to think about it"

"I'll think about it but I can already tell you the answer will be no" Naruto left the room quickly. He didn't go back to his desk though. Instead he went for the elevator. He didn't care that there was no one to cover him; he knew his team would manage. He was no help to any of them at the moment anyway. Naruto pulled out his phone, flicking through his contacts until he found his best friends name.

….

Naruto sat with Sakura at a bar. It was a local for the hospital staff and the two had come here many times together. Sakura said nothing to Naruto when she first arrived. She had never seen Naruto so angry before that she thought it would be best to let him speak first.

"He wants me to marry Sasuke" the words that left Naruto's lips still seemed like a bad nightmare to him. He waved the bartender over and ask for a shot of tequila. Sakura decline, getting a gin a tonic instead. "Apparently if I marry that teme it will show some bullshit unity to their enemies"

"You and Sasuke? Really?" Sakura sounded deep in thought about it and Naruto threw the shot back quickly. Wincing as the light brown liquid hit the back of his throat.

"Bullshit right. I wondered why the prick had been sniffing around me lately. Never thought he'd stoup so low though" Of course Naruto would never admit that he had enjoyed Sasuke's advances towards him. He had a boyfriend after all and Sasuke was just his school rival.

"You never told me Sasuke had taken an interest in you" Sakura sounded almost hurt and Naruto wondered how long it had been since they had a decent catch up.

"Sorry Sakura, I didn't even think to tell you" he looked down at the tequila shot the bartender had put in front of him again "He showed up at the hospital last week, said he wanted to see what I did all day…I let him come to the family room and he said he thought we would make a good couple together"

"Seriously?" Sakura didn't sound as shocked as she pretended to be. It was almost as if she knew something he didn't.

"I thought he was messing with me ya know. He always liked to get under my skin" Naruto paused before continuing "All these boxes turned up from him. Thousands of dollars' worth of a donation to the family room"

"You're an idiot Naruto" Sakura smacked him on the back of his head. Naruto glared at her and rubbed the spot in an attempt to stop it from stinging. "Sasuke likes you Naruto"

"Bullshit Sakura! He's just going along with my father's stupid plan" Sakura sighed, waved the bar tender down and asked for two more shots. One for her and one for Naruto.

"Here, you're going to need this one to" She downed her one quickly, puckering her lips together at the bitter taste and Naruto followed suit. "Sasuke has always liked you Naruto! Why do you think he spent so many years trying to get your attention?"

"You mean torture me" Naruto grumbled. He asked Sakura here so he could vent. Not be told some ridiculous crap about the Uchiha liking him.

"Jesus Naruto you really are blind. Everything Sasuke has ever done to you is to get you to notice him! Didn't you ever wonder why it was only you? He never picked on anyone else, never attempted to catch anyone else's eye" Naruto thought back to their years at school and he had to admit it. Sakura was right. Sasuke seemed to only pay attention to him, it was like everyone else was non-existent. "All the girls tried to get his attention Naruto, even I did for years but he brushed us all off. When we'd talk to him he would excuse himself the second he saw you and from that moment on no one could divert his attention. He was always watching you, drawing you"

"Drawing me?" Naruto thought back to the fox picture and realisation hit him. No wonder he felt a pull to it. Blonde fur, blue eyes. Sasuke had drawn it as a version of Naruto.

"When you weren't around Sasuke was always quite. It was like he was missing some part of him and then you would walk into the room and he would light up like it was Christmas. That man has liked you from the second he met you" Sakura took another shot, handing one to Naruto in the process.

"But…he never said anything!" Naruto slumped his head down on the bar. A frustrated groan leaving his lips. Everything Sakura said was right and she knew it to.

"Sasuke Uchiha express his feelings? You're such an idiot Naruto. Read between the lines already" Sakura placed a comforting hand on his back and began to rub it in soothing circles. "I'm not saying marry the guy. I'm just saying if it does come to that it's not the end of the world alright"

"But…Gaara" Naruto felt torn. He cared for Gaara deeply and in time he could see himself falling hopelessly for him but now he was completely confused. He had been clearly attracted to Sasuke the other day and now that he knew it wasn't a game to him he began questioning if there was more to that attraction the he originally thought.

"Gaara is a great guy Naruto. He cares for you, everyone can see that. Don't overthink this Sasuke thing too much. You have a great relationship and I don't see any reason to throw it away just because of Sasuke" Once again Sakura made a good point but sadly it confused Naruto even more. He wouldn't deliberately go out of his way to see Sasuke. Hell, he would do his best to avoid the man even more now that he knew how the man felt. Naruto wasn't a cheater, he hated cheaters. That was it for him. He would stay with Gaara and live happily with the man and avoid Sasuke Uchiha like he would a plague.


	13. Deals, alcohol and jealousy

A/N: to RN(guest) . I'm not sure if you are still reading as you may have gotten too annoyed with the point's you made me aware of. First point Konohamaru's tumour. I'm so sorry for not researching it a bit further. At the moment I will not be changing this but only because I'm in the middle of exams so I'm writing this story in-between my studying. Once my last exam is over I will look into it a lot more and fix this. I want this story to have dramatic moments but I didn't realise how over the top I had made it in this instance! Sorry about that!

Second point you made. The way I have written how Gaara and Naruto go about their jobs. This I will not be changing although the points you made we're great and I will keep them in mind when writing this story further. The reason I won't be changing this though is because I want Naruto's and Gaara's personalities reflected in their work. Naruto is a passionate and caring person. Yes he is charge nurse and doesn't directly care for the patients but he does go out of his way to be involved due to his personality. Konohamaru's case is the only one he is in working on personally though. Gaara in this story is a ladder climber so picking and choosing surgeries reflects that. Though he does take on normal hospital surgeries on top of the ones he has chosen to work on. Sorry if this annoys you and I take your feedback happily but it's just the way I've written things. I feel their personalities are more important to be portrayed then an exact hospital working system so please forgive me for this! I have done my best to keep the real fundamentals of their jobs though.

To the rest of my reviewers thank you so much! You are all amazing, please enjoy this chapter and keep the reviews coming!

….

Gaara looked quickly down at his wrist watch. He was anxious to finish his shift and find Naruto. Ino had passed him in the halls and mentioned that Naruto had left with Sakura in a hurry. It gave him some comfort that Naruto was with a friend but he was still concerned; especially since his boyfriend wasn't answering his phone. Gaara only hoped that nothing serious had happened since it was out of character for Naruto to leave so suddenly. He picked up his phone again to give it one last chance before he went to check on Kurama. After hearing the line go dead after a few rings and click over to Naruto's answer machine Gaara slammed it down on the desk. His shoulders heaved as if a great weight was on him. How was he supposed to protect Naruto if he didn't have a clue where he was?

Gaara gathered his things quickly as well as Kurama's paperwork and left his office. The walk down to Kurama's room wasn't a particular long one but it always felt dragged out. Gaara had struggled to put aside his reservations against his patient and his family. Knowing how much pain and trouble they had placed on Naruto again infuriated him. But he remained professional, kept his patients well-being first and pushed aside any personal issues. After all Gaara had a job to do and he wouldn't make head of surgery but letting his emotions get the better of him. Having Kushina around did make it easier for him though. The woman embodied everything that Naruto was and her warmth fought off any negativity Gaara had.

"Gaara!" Kushina welcomed him with open arms, embracing him like he was part of the family.

"Mrs Namikaze" Gaara acknowledge, giving her a brief smile. He watched her face crease and quickly turned his attention to Kurama. Gaara didn't want Kushina to pick up on his worry about Naruto. "You seem to be healing well Kurama. You do seem to have a slightly elevated white blood cell count so as a precaution I want to put you on a fairly routine anti biotic"

"So does that mean I can get out of here then?" Gaara had noted how restless Kurama was getting. It increased daily and Gaara had trouble figuring out if it was the fact he was in hospital or that he was anxious to get back to his duties.

"Yes, once your white cell count has fallen back into the normal range I'll be happy to release you" Gaara flicked through his chart quickly. Happy with Kurama's overall process.

"Thank you Dr Sabaku, you've been excellent in your care for our son" Minato spoke up. It was the first time he had ever addressed Gaara and it took him by surprise. "Kushina, would you mind leaving the room?"

"Minato…" Kushina warned. Gaara could see the woman was reluctant but eventually gave way to her husband's request. Leaving Gaara alone with the mafia clan boss and future boss.

"Do you enjoy working here Mr Sabaku?" Gaara noted how Minato dropped his usual title. Addressing him in a manner for those in business.

"I don't feel comfortable speaking of my life with patients nor their families Mr Namikaze" he coldly responded. His clinical mask in place.

"I didn't intend to be rude. I'm just curious if you would be interested in some…outside work" Gaara raised an eyebrow at the business like man. His blue eyes sparkling in a way Gaara recognised. He had seen Naruto's eye's gleam in a similar way when he was planning something ridiculous.

"No. My main focus is to work hard enough to become head of surgery. Work outside this hospital does not interest me since there is nothing I can benefit from it" at that Minato's face drew a wide smile. The glimmer in his eyes intensifying. Kurama stayed silent, as if he wanted no part in what his father was doing; he didn't object to it either though.

"What if it could benefit you? Help you towards your goal?" Gaara felt something niggle in him, curiosity. He fought it down though. He was with Naruto and his boyfriend had spent to long trying to get out of the shadow of his family. If Gaara took anything they offered him he would be dragging Naruto back into it by association. "I know a lot of influential people. Tsunade's just taken over head of the hospital and all it would take would be me putting in a good word for you"

"Although the prospect is interesting I prefer to gain that position based on my own merit" Gaara narrowed his eyes and replied with a slight sneer. He didn't need anyone's help getting where he wanted. He was a hard worker; determined and brilliant. Hand out's weren't necessary.

"If you're worried about Naruto he wouldn't have to know" Gaara sighed, snapping the clip board cover in his hands down harshly. He had heard enough. "It would also mean that I would trust you…which means I trust you with my son's safety as well"

"So if I worked for you, you would stop harassing Naruto?" Minato had a knowing smirk on his face. It was one that a spider would have when it knew its prey was caught.

"Exactly. Of course I'll still have security measures in place but that's as far as our involvement will go" Gaara's conviction wavered. He could see that Naruto had been struggling with everything going on. Him being a target which caused his family to be shoved back into his life at full force. If Gaara accepted he could talk some of that burden away from Naruto and place it on himself, giving his boyfriend his life back. But on the other hand he was putting his career at risk. If found out he could have his license pull and stricken off or worse land himself in prison. "You don't have to decide now. Here is my number, call me with your decision". Minato handed him a piece of paper. Gaara shoved it into his pocket, nodding quickly and leaving the room. He spotted Kushina standing outside of the door, a sad frown on her face.

…

Naruto didn't care that the room was slightly blurry or that his head was full of white noise. He was having fun. He needed a night to let loose and relieve himself of the unnecessary tension put on him in the past few weeks. He pointed to the bar and Kiba nodded waving down a bar tender and ordering another round of shot's for them. Sakura had taken the liberty of sending out a mass text to their group of friends once their stomachs were warmed from a few shots. A few had turned up, Kiba one of them along with Shikamaru, Temari, Lee and Ino.

"Alright guy's on the count of three! One, two…..THREE!" Lee shouted enthusiastically. Proud that this time he had convinced them to a drinking game. Naruto felt the liquid slid down his throat with ease. He didn't even know what it was he was drinking anymore but he was past the point of caring.

"So, do you guy's ever plan on telling us the reason behind this impromptu drinking session?" Shikamaru queried. His head cocked to the side and an arm wrapped around Temari's shoulder. At first Shikamaru was hesitant to show affection towards the rough woman but the more he drank the more at ease he became about it.

"Don't tell me you and my brother are fighting already?" Temari poked, giving Naruto a wink playfully. Naruto shook his head, a bright blush on his cheeks. He had completely forgot about Gaara tonight. He pulled out his phone and saw that it was dead. Naruto would just have to call him in the morning and explain; he was sure he would be worried about him.

"No, nothing like that. I've just had one to many shocks this week" Naruto took a sip of his beer that he was using as a chaser for his shots. "Can you let him know I'm alright? My phone's died"

"Sure" Temari flicked out her phone, typing out an unreadable sentence in her inebriated state and flicked it closed again.

"Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do" the spare seat was pulled out next to Naruto. He turned his head and pointed at the new comer angrily.

"You! What are you doing here!" his words were slurred but he didn't care. Sasuke smirked at him and grabbed Naruto's beer, sculling the rest of it back "Hey! That was mine!"

"Sakura text me. You're not the only one having a hard week Dobe" Naruto let his breath out in a huff.

"You owe me a new drink Teme" Sasuke waved over the bartender this time. Ordering more shots and a beer each for Naruto and him. "Good, don't take it again"

"I'll take whatever I want Dobe. I'm an Uchiha" Naruto glared and Sasuke held his gaze longer than necessary. His previous conversation with Sakura came to the front of his mind and Naruto looked away quickly; a blush on his already alcohol heated checks.

"Drink!" Lee jumped up, wobbling slightly. He slammed down a shot in front of Sasuke who looked at him with a confused look.

"Why?" Sakura stood up to. Naruto loved Sakura when she was drunk. It was like her inner confidence shone out.

"No names! That's the rule and no pointing either!" Naruto groaned and Sasuke grinned.

"That's means you two plus the cute blonde next to me has to drink as well!" the rest of the table began to all laugh together. The rules were pretty simple but the more they drank the harder it got to follow them.

"More shots bartender!" Kiba shouted out. Naruto felt uncomfortable sitting next to Sasuke. He could feel the man staring at him, trying to get his attention again.

"Would you quit staring at my brother's boyfriend like he's a piece of meat?" Temari spat out. The table went quiet and Naruto spayed out his drink in shock.

"I don't see your brother around anywhere so I'll stare at whoever I want" Temari's chair scrapped against the ground as she stood up and leant forward. Naruto sighed, he had wanted a drama free night.

"Temari sit down" Shikamaru grabbed her and pulled her down on his lap. "Sasuke can be a bit of an ass at times but he is our friend"

"But he!" she pointed angrily at the smug, raven haired man who had leant back in his chair. His eye's daring her on.

"Yeah I know. Sasuke reel it in a bit will ya" Lee jumped up again, breaking the tension.

"DRINK!" Temari swore under her breath and Naruto laughed. Who knew pointing would be such a hard thing not to do.

…..

Gaara quickly pulled on some clothes, wishing death upon his phone at the same time. Temari had rung him and he could hear how drunk she was. He could barely make out a few words but he managed to get the name of the place she was at and who was with her. The second she had mentioned Naruto he was out of bed and grabbing his keys. It took him less than fifteen minutes to find the place. Loud music was flowing out the windows and he could hear loud banter as well. He slammed his car door shut. Gaara was not impressed. He had no contact from Naruto, it was three in the morning and now the man expected him to come pick his drunk ass up.

Gaara stopped in his tracks when he entered the bar. His eyes wide and angry. The group of friends were chatting loudly and drunkenly away. What made him angry though was how close Sasuke Uchiha seemed to be. The man had his arm resting on the back of Naruto's chair and he was leant over, whispering into Naruto's ear. Gaara felt his blood boil. He pulled out his phone and searched for the piece of paper with Minato's number in it. He type it in, sending three words to the man. _"I'll do it"_.

Gaara forced himself to walk forward. He stood in front of the table and made a sound in the back of his throat to get their attention. Naruto looked up at him, his eye's glazed over and Gaara flicked his eyes to Sasuke's other hand which was resting on his boyfriends leg.

"I've come to pick you and Temari up, get your things" Naruto nodded and went to move but before he could Sasuke stood up. It was obvious he was drunk to and as angry as Gaara was at him he wouldn't fight someone intoxicated.

"Who are you to tell him to leave, were having a good time here and the Dobe can stay as long as he wants" Gaara sighed. He waved his hand dismissively and ignored Sasuke. "Hey I'm talking to you!"

"Naruto…" his voice was soft. He wasn't angry at Naruto. He could understand the man's need to let loose but that didn't mean he couldn't be mad at the man next to him. "Come on, I'll get you home into a warm bed and you can sleep off the alcohol"

"No, Naruto isn't going anywhere" Sasuke stood in front of Naruto, blocking him from Gaara's view. Gaara closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath in.

"Naruto is my boyfriend Uchiha. He is drunk and I'm here to make sure he gets back to mine safely" He kept his voice even and stared down at Sasuke. Neither one spoke, it was like an unspoken challenge had been made between them.

"Would anyone like to know what I want to do?" Naruto piped up. Sakura had her arm wrapped around him and Kiba had the other side to keep him standing.

"You can come back to mine Naruto, I'll sleep on the couch" Gaara felt a twinge of jealousy shoot through him as Naruto looked like he was thinking it over. It hurt Gaara but it was pretty obvious Naruto wasn't in his right mind.

"No…Gaara's" he smiled warmly at Gaara before his eyes hooded closed and his head fell forward. Sakura and Kiba strained under the limp weighty body.

"Shit" Gaara brushed past Sasuke who looked like his toy had been taken away from him.

"I'll help get him to your car" It was clear Sasuke was more sober then Kiba and Sakura and as much as Gaara wanted to reject his help there was no one else.

"Fine, but after this if you touch him again I won't hold back" the two men stared at each other again. Gaara came to the conclusion that Sasuke wasn't going to give up anytime soon.

"I won't make promises I can't keep" Gaara held back the urge to hit the drunk man again. He really hoped Naruto had a killer hangover tomorrow because he deserved it for the stress he put him through tonight.

…


	14. Hangovers and plans

A/N: to all those worried this won't stay a Gaara/Naruto story don't worry! It is and will stay that way but there will be Naruto/Sasuke as well as you all can see. Happy reading!

….

Naruto flung his hand up to block out the sunlight that suddenly shone down on his face. He felt like he had been hit by a truck. His head was pounding, his stomach churning uncomfortably and his breathing was heavy. The light didn't help matters either as his eyes were bloodshot causing them to sting. There was a shuffle at the end of the bed and Naruto forced his eyes open enough to see a familiar red head sitting at the end of it. A glass of water in one hand and aspirin in the other. Naruto was happy he had such a considerate boyfriend.

"How's your head?" Naruto didn't miss the stoic tone of Gaara's voice. He frowned, trying to remember what had happened last night to make him angry.

"I feel as if someone's hit me with a shovel" he ground out. Naruto struggled to sit up. One hand held over his stomach to sooth it and the other propping him up.

"Good" Gaara handed him the items in his hand and stood up. Naruto watched him closely as he tried to assess how angry the man was at him.

"Did I do something wrong?" he heard Gaara let out a sigh which made Naruto feel uneasy. Gaara sat at the end of the bed again. One leg propped under him so he could look at Naruto.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" Naruto flinched at Gaara's seething words that was mixed in with his care for him. "You just up and left! You could have at least text me but I had to find out from Ino!"

"I'm sorry" Naruto looked at his hands as a child would when being scolded. Gaara sighed again.

"I understand you are under a lot of stress Naruto but you can't be so reckless. Your life is in danger and I was so worried something had happened to you. Your phone was off, you we're drunk and then Temari rang me…" Gaara averted his gaze. Naruto could tell something else was bothering his boyfriend. "When I turned up that Uchiha brat was all over you" Naruto's stomach dropped. He didn't remember Sasuke even being there last night.

"Gaara…" he held up his hand to stop Naruto. He wasn't finished talking and he had to get out what he was saying before he lost his nerve.

"Naruto please be honest with me. Is there something between you two?" Naruto wanted to shrink away in shame under Gaara's tired eyes. He wondered if the man got any sleep last night or if he had been questioning their relationship all night.

"No, well…not for me anyway" Naruto knew it was a lie. But he didn't see any reason to tell Gaara he felt an attraction towards Sasuke since he would never act on it. He cared too much about Gaara to betray him like that.

"So he likes you then?" Naruto slowly nodded. Gaara blew out his breath. "Nothing will happen with him Gaara"

"I trust you Naruto. It's just…" the red head lay sideways across the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't trust him Naruto. When I walked in last night he knew who I was and still he tried to convince you to go home with him"

"I would never!" Naruto yelled out angrily. The fact that Sasuke even tried to take him home in such a state irritated him.

"If you say so Naruto" Gaara got up and walked across to the door. "I've got to go to work. I've rung in sick for you. Try to make it to the bathroom if you need to throw up, I don't feel like cleaning up vomit later" Naruto waited till Gaara left the room and put the glass of water down on the table next to the bed. He grabbed the blanket and turned his back on the window that let the light in.

Naruto tried to remember what happened last night. Snippets came back to him but not enough to get a full picture. Whatever Gaara saw had obviously made him doubt Naruto. He cursed Lee, he knew it was dumb to agree to one of his crazy ideas.

….

Sasuke lay in bed. One hand behind his head and the other flicking through his phone messages. His head rang slightly but not enough to bother him. Last night flicked into his mind. He knew it was wrong to make advances towards Naruto when he was drunk but he wanted to find out if Naruto had any attraction to him. He thought over each detail, a satisfied grin growing. At first Naruto had ignored him but after a while he began chatting to him with ease. Eventually Sasuke made slight moves to see if Naruto would move away from him. An arm around his chair, talking closer to him then he should have and a hand on the leg. Each small advance Naruto didn't move away or say anything and Sasuke would have assumed he was oblivious to it. The fact that Naruto had blushed every time he made a move to get closer to him made him think otherwise.

The music had been loud enough to give Sasuke the excuse to whisper into Naruto's ear. He had felt Naruto shudder as his breath swept across it and once again didn't move away. Gaara had to show up and ruin it all though. He had wanted to see how far he could really take things. Of course he wouldn't do anything that pushed the boundaries. He had meant it when he said Naruto could sleep in his bed and him on the floor. Naruto meant more to him then a one night stand and if they did end up together he wanted them both to remember their first time together. That didn't mean he could have a little bit of fun teasing the blonde though. There was a knock on the door and his brother Itachi swept into the room.

"You look happy" the older Uchiha stated, a bemused look on his face.

"What do you want Itachi" Sasuke spat out. He did love his brother but Itachi always meddled in his life which annoyed him to no end.

"I just want to talk to you about something…" Itachi's face was one that Sasuke knew well. It was his business face. Cold, calm and calculating.

"It's too early in the morning to talk about clan buisness" Itachi grabbed the end of his duvet, ripping it off him before Sasuke could stop him. "Hey!"

"Get up and meet me downstairs. You'll want to hear what I have to say…it's about Naruto" Itachi swept out of the room and Sasuke felt his chest flutter. He quickly hoped out of bed and threw on a pair of plain black pants and a blue shirt with the Uchiha emblem on the back of it. Sasuke ran downstairs, skipping a few steps as he went a quickly stopped when he reached the office door. He caught his breath, not wanting Itachi to see him without composure.

Itachi sat behind the mahogany desk. What took Sasuke by surprise though was Minato Namikaze sitting in one of the chairs opposite him. Itachi motioned for Sasuke to sit in the seat next to the father of the man he loved. Sasuke felt small in the presence of the two men and was thankful their father was overseas or he would have felt as small as a bug.

"Sasuke it's good to see you again" Minato smiled brightly. The man's smile reminded him of Naruto's. "Itachi and I have been talking and we would like to run something past you"

"As you know Sasuke both our families are under a great threat" Sasuke remained quiet, listening intently. His brother had filled him in on everything that was going on but he had told him Sasuke he was to not play a part in anything. "Minato and I we're thinking it would be beneficial to both families if we united together, showing a strong front to our enemies"

"I see…" Sasuke kept himself calm. This could only mean one thing but he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"How do you feel about my son Sasuke?" Minato asked, his eye's holding the same twinkle it had when he had talked with Gaara.

"He's loud, unpredictable and a pain in my ass" Sasuke replied. Minato raised his eyebrow, a knowing expression on his face. He was married to Kushina after all "But, that's exactly why I like him"

"So you have feelings for him?" Itachi laughed at Minato's question. Everyone knew how Sasuke felt; everyone but Naruto that is.

"Stop torturing the poor man and get to the point Minato" Minato looked disappointed at Itachi for ruining his fun.

"I've already talk to Naruto about this but I'm hoping you won't be as opposed as he was" Sasuke flinched. That explained how Naruto greeted him last night. "I want you to marry my son"

"As much as I would like that Naruto seems pretty happy with his new boyfriend" his face darkened at the thought of Gaara again. The man was thwarting his attempts to get close with Naruto at every turn.

"Don't worry about that, it won't last much longer" Minato waved off.

"Naruto didn't agree? I don't want to marry someone who doesn't want me" Inside Sasuke was over joyed. If Gaara was out of the picture he could easily get closer to Naruto.

"That is your responsibility. I'm sure you can get him to change his mind somehow" Minato winked at him. Sasuke smirked back. It was like everything he wanted was getting handed to him on a platter. He had already pushed his boundaries with Naruto last night and it was pretty clear the man wasn't as oppose to him as he made out.

"So Sasuke?" Itachi leaned forward. His brother already knew the answer. He had watched Sasuke for years pinning over the oblivious blonde fox.

"If it's for the good of our clans then I'll do it" Sasuke stood up. He wanted to leave the room as quickly as he could so the two men didn't see his buisness demeanour crack. He had struggled a long time for the two men to acknowledge him as more than Itachi's bratty younger brother and he wouldn't give them any reason to doubt him. The second his back was turned though a smile broke out on his face, the happiness reaching his eyes. Gaara be damned, nothing was going to stop him now.


	15. Cracks

Kushina concentrated on the knife in her hand as it cut through a peeled carrot. It was unusual for the wife of a mafia boss to do every day chores but Kushina was an exception. She couldn't stand others waiting hand and foot on her so she had refused the help. She put the knife down and put the carrots into a pot of boiling water. Kushina looked up at the clock on the wall: Minato would be back from the hospital any second. Part of her was nervous. It was time she sat her husband down and made him explain himself. She was sick of watching him meddle in Naruto's life and if he didn't have a legitimate reason she would lose her temper with him quickly.

Kushina heard the door close and narrowed her eyes. She would not let him blow her off this time. Minato came into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her small waste, placing a light kiss on her neck. "Kurama should be coming home tomorrow"

"That's brilliant!" she exclaimed. Her mind changing thoughts quickly. When Kurama had walked through the door, clutching his bleeding chest Kushina felt a pain she had never experience before. She had felt a fear like no other. Those two feelings had stuck with her, fuelling her need to protect her children more so then usual.

"And Sasuke seems happy" Kushina picked up her kitchen knife and spun around. Pointing it at Minato in a threating manor. Minato remained smiling, his hand's raised. He was use to this.

"I've had enough of this Minato. Explain to me right now why you are meddling in Naruto's life. He's happy, Gaara is lovely and your tearing things apart" Minato put his hand over his wife's. Getting her to gently lower the knife.

"Kushina. You know I would never do anything to hurt Naruto. I'm just trying to do what's best for our son" Kushina narrowed her eyes, her lips forming a pout. "Alright, alright I'll explain" Minato chuckled. He sat down at the breakfast bar. "I was happy to let Naruto go, to give him the freedom to take his own path as you wanted but recently things aren't that simple. You know we are in danger and it's made me realise a few things"

"Like what" Kushina folded her arm's over her chest, showing Minato she wouldn't back down.

"Naruto is never going to be safe out there by himself Kushina. I hate that fact but it's true. He is our son and that means he is always going to be a target for our enemies. We owe it to him to keep him safe and that's what I'm trying to do" the thought of Naruto being hurt because of their lifestyle was one Kushina was well aware of. It had kept her up many nights but she knew giving up his dream would do him damage as well.

"What about Gaara, he makes Naruto happy so why are you trying to take that away from him? Why are you pushing Sasuke at him?" Kushina liked Gaara. She could see how deeply he cared for Naruto and it made her angry her husband was meddling with it.

"Because that man could never understand Kushina! Don't you see? Outsiders cannot handle this life. It's better for both of them or their relationship could destroy both of their lives! Sasuke love's Naruto Kushina. You and I have both seen that over the years. If Gaara is out of the picture Naruto would give Sasuke a chance" Kushina frowned but nodded. Minato was right. There was no point in Gaara throwing away his life for one he could never adjust to. "I know Naruto could be happy with Sasuke and if it works out then their marriage will keep Naruto safe as well. Sasuke can protect him in a way Gaara never could"

"Naruto will never agree to this Minato" her husband stood up. His cheeky, mischievous smile in place as he advanced on her. Kushina giggled when he swept her into his arms, nuzzling his face into her neck.

"Our son is far too much like you sometimes" Minato whispered into her ear. Nibbling on it slightly "And that's why I've done things the way I have. Naruto will think that all the decisions he makes from this point on will be by his own choice. All I've done is set up things to nudge him in the right direction" Kushina bit her lip. She was uneasy about it all but if it was for Naruto's benefit then she had no right to argue. She had nearly lost Kurama; she wouldn't lose Naruto.

"If this blow's up in your face Minato…." She warned.

"Don't worry my love. I'll take full responsibility. You know I would never jeopardise your relationship with Naruto. I can live with him hating me knowing I did my best to keep him safe, you on the other hand couldn't" he place a brief kiss on her lips. Kushina wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder. She was overwhelmed by all the stress put on their family lately and was finding it hard to keep herself together. Minato patted the back of her head in a comforting manor. "I promise you Kushina, no one else in our family will get hurt. I'll make sure of it"

….

"What the hell are those and what are they doing at my station?" Naruto ground out to Tobi; who was the hospitals mail deliverer. The man held up his hand's and shook his head. Naruto always found Tobi irritating, it was like he was acting dumb most of the time.

"No clue, they had your name on them so I brought them up here for you" Naruto ran his hand through his hair. He had told Tobi many times flowers were not allowed on his floor since the kids were susceptible to chest infections and the pollen would irritate them.

"You know there's no flowers allowed Tobi" Naruto grumbled and picked up the card. He flick it open as he eyed up the bunch of roses. Naruto quickly handed them back to the man and threw the card in the bin. Sasuke had already caused him more than enough trouble and these flowers wouldn't help. "Get them out of here please"

"Nice! Who are they for?" Sakura smiled. Coming up behind Naruto and smelling them quickly. Naruto looked at Gaara who was standing next to her, his face hard as stone.

"No one. Sent to the wrong floor" he quickly muttered. Tobi grabbed the note out of the bin and waved it in the air.

"There to Naruto from someone called Sasuke!" he exclaimed. Naruto wanted to hit his head on the counter right then. It couldn't be possible for someone to be that stupid could it?

"Tobi, just take them away please" Naruto groaned out, his face in a pained expression.

"The reception downstairs could use some brightening up take them there Tobi" Sakura warmly said. The annoying man nodded, waving at them enthusiastically as he picked the roses up and took them away.

"Gaara…" his boyfriend shrugged. Trying to pretend that it didn't annoy him. Naruto felt himself become deflated. It had been like this ever since that morning Gaara had asked about Sasuke's feelings. Any mention of the man and Gaara distanced himself from Naruto.

"We just checked up on Konohamaru. He's progressing well and in a few days we will start planning out his operation" Naruto felt elated. Konohamaru had been complaining about how ill he was feeling with his treatment. He would be glad to hear the news. "Is Ino scheduled to see him?" Naruto went behind the desk and pulled out Konohamaru's notes.

"Tomorrow morning, is he okay?" Sakura looked wary. Naruto had decided to take himself of Konohamaru's case. He had been afraid that the boy could be targeted if he was seen to be too close to him. Naruto had also felt that with everything being so turbulent in his life that he couldn't give Konohamaru's case the attention it needed.

"Yes, he just seems a bit…down right now" Sakura replied. Naruto felt guilty. He knew Konohamaru was upset at how he had distanced himself but he had also ensured that Asuma had put in more effort since Naruto couldn't.

"I have to get back to work" Gaara went to leave but Naruto grabbed his wrist lightly. He hated how distant they were becoming. It seemed every time they made plans something else came up and Gaara would leave suddenly or cancel all together.

"Dinner tonight?" he saw Gaara relax and give him a small smile.

"Of course" he pulled Naruto into a hug and place a kiss on his forehead. "Keep out of trouble today okay?"

"Me? Trouble?" Naruto laughed pulling away, a fake look of horror on his face. "Why would you ever think that?"

"Maybe because you keep getting me into trouble little fox" Gaara smirked back. Naruto blushed at the memory. They had tried to fit in a bit of fun in their lunch break the previous day. The look on Tsunade's face was priceless to Naruto when she stormed into Gaara's office; finding the two men half naked on his desk. Naruto's ears still had a slight ringing to them from her rather loud scolding she had given them. Truth be told it was Naruto's fault though. He felt like he had barley seen his boyfriend lately and had felt a bit neglected by him.

…..

Naruto sat on his couch. Looking at his watch then to the dinner he had made; well ordered. Naruto wasn't the best cook and he had tried to make something nice for Gaara but it ended up with him setting the smoke alarms off. Gaara was heard his phone's message tone go off and his stomach sunk. He knew what the text was even before looking at it. Gaara had cancelled on him again. Naruto put his phone down and stood at his table, his hands on his hips. What was he meant to do with all the food he ordered. He went through his contacts, wondering who he could invite over so the food didn't go to waste. A knock sounded at his door and Naruto eyed it cautiously.

"Open up dobe!" Sasuke yelled from the other side impatiently. Naruto remained where he was as he weighed up his options. He could invite Sasuke in; which would help get rid of the excess food. On the other hand though he was making an effort to avoid him to reduce the tension with Gaara. "I have beer"

"What kind?" Naruto yelled back. All he had brought was wine from the supermarket, trying to impress Gaara.

"Just open the door dobe!" Naruto opened it slightly and poked his head out. Sasuke stood in the hall way, holding a box of his favourite lager.

"What do you want Teme?" Naruto asked warily, his eyes narrowing sceptically. Sasuke returned the stare and held up the box.

"I wanted to apologise for the other night, I acted like a real moron" Naruto flicked over his choices again and eventually opened the door for Sasuke.

"You might as well come in. I have enough food for two" Sasuke walked into Naruto's apartment as if he owned it. Inspecting every miniscule detail while Naruto stood awkwardly at the door still. His apartment wasn't shabby but compared to Sasuke's taste it was towards the low end of things. "No funny business though!"

"I promise to behave" Sasuke smirked. Naruto grabbed the box of beer and went into the kitchen and began to put the bottles away in the fridge. He grabbed two out and sat at the table opposite Sasuke. "Expecting company?"

"I was but Gaara had to work late so I'm stuck here with all this food" Naruto gestured to the takeaways in front of him. He had gone for an assortment of things ranging from dumplings to bean jam cakes. Sasuke reached for a bit of sushi though, he was never one for sweet things.

"His loss" Sasuke shrugged. The two sat in silence comfortably while they ate. "Is this the first time he's stood you up?" Naruto shook his head, his eyes sad at the question.

"No" he said softly. He quickly put a smile on his face though. "Gaara wants to become head of surgery so he's picking up extra shifts and on call hours" the way Sasuke looked at him with his eyebrow raised made Naruto uncomfortable again. Almost as if he didn't believe what Gaara had told the blonde.

"Are you sure about that?" Sasuke pointed his chopsticks at him before picking up another bit of food.

"If you're trying to imply that Gaara is cheating on me your wrong Teme…he would never do that" Naruto spat out. It angered him that Sasuke had even implied the idea of his boyfriend going behind his back.

"I'm just saying if I was your boyfriend I wouldn't stand you up, not even for work" Sasuke shrugged, brushing off what Naruto had said quickly.

"Well you're not my boyfriend Teme" Naruto saw Sasuke flinch at his spiteful tone. He rubbed the back of his head; he hadn't meant to sound so harsh. "Sorry Sasuke"

"It's fine Naruto" Sasuke stood up, grabbing empty boxes to put in the bin. "I didn't mean any harm, I just find it odd that's all" Doubt began to settle in the back of his mind. It was unusual the amount of times Gaara had cancelled on him so far. Sure once or twice he understood, any more then that though was questionable. "Look…I'm sure he is just working" Naruto jumped back slightly when he realised how close Sasuke had gotten to him. Then raven haired Uchiha stood right in front of him with his hand placed on Naruto's neck softly. "I just…if I was Gaara I wouldn't want to spend a single second away from you"

"Sasuke…" Naruto blushed, stepping away as he did. Sasuke frowned then held up his hands in defeat.

"I know, just friends I get it" Sasuke went back to cleaning up and Naruto tried to ignore the tingling feeling where Sasuke had put his hand on him. It was like the man's touch had burnt into his skin and Naruto longed for the man to touch him again. "I'm not going to tidy up myself dobe"

"Sorry, my mind was elsewhere" He collected up the remaining boxes and plates. Putting them in either the rubbish bin or the sink. He flicked his eyes over to Sasuke every now and then. His eye's fell over his toned arms that flexed with every scrub he made on a plate.

"It's rude to stare" Sasuke smirked. There was curiosity and a hint of lust in the onyx eyes as they watched Naruto observe him. Naruto bit his lips and turned his attention on drying the dishes. He repeated in his head over and over again that he had a boyfriend. It didn't help that occasionally Sasuke would unintentionally touch his hands when handing him plates. "Thanks for dinner but I should get going…curfew and all"

"Oh, yea…thanks for the beer" Naruto refused to look Sasuke in the eyes, fearing his own would betray him. Naruto walked Sasuke to the door, holding it open for him.

"Naruto…" Sasuke looked like he wanted to say something but instead smirked at him. "See you around…dobe" Naruto watched his retreating back walk down the apartment complex corridor. When the Uchiha was out of sight he let his breath out. Staying away from Sasuke was going to be harder then he originally thought.


	16. Distance

Gaara groggily reached over Naruto and picked up his phone which was ringing. He wanted to throw it against the wall but restrained himself. It seemed every time he got a free moment with Naruto it was interrupted and he was beginning to think it was intentional. When Gaara had agreed to work for Minato he wasn't expecting the man to call on him so much; he was feeling run down, irritated and exhausted from going between the hospital and Namikaze mansion. Gaara was feeling bad about how it was effecting his relationship. He could sense that his little fox was growing distant and suspicious of him with the increasing amount of excuses Gaara made. It also didn't help that because he was so tired his agitation was directed towards him unintentionally. Naruto shifted next to him in his sleep and Gaara smiled a little bit. It was all for Naruto though.

Minato had kept up his side of the bargain. He had kept his distance from his son and Kurama also. The two men hadn't even attempted to get in contact with him since he made the deal. Gaara didn't regret doing it as it was evident how Naruto had bounced back to his normal self without their added pressure. The phone went off again and Gaara answered it quickly, not wanting to wake the sleeping blonde. He hoped if he got whatever Minato wanted over with quickly he could be back before Naruto even noticed.

Gaara put the phone to his ear, an annoyed look crossing his face "Gaara speaking"

"_Be here within half an hour"_ Kurama's gruff voice rang out followed but a sharp click which indicated him hanging up. Gaara gave one last look over to Naruto and place a small kiss on his cheek. Naruto made a small noise but didn't wake and Gaara quickly slipped out of bed and got dressed. Grabbing his keys he made his way to the door and with one last look towards his room he closed it behind him.

The drive to the mansion was a quick one as it was situated in the closet outskirts to the city. The second the gates opened though Gaara knew this call out was different than the others. Most of the time Gaara had just been fixing up a few cuts or gunshot grazes but from the amount of cars around and the number of guards something bigger was going on. Gaara quickly rushed inside. Even though he didn't want to be here he could not go against his morals. If he could save a life he would.

"Sabaku, in here quickly!" Kurama yelled out from an adjoining room just off to the side of the staircase. Gaara ran into the room and his eyes widened. On what looked to be a long dining table was a brown haired man in his late twenties. What shocked him though was the amount of cut's on him. From a distance Gaara could see they were extensive, some deep while others superficial. A man he recognised from the hospital was already working on the shallower wounds while Minato himself was putting pressure on the deepest one.

"What happened?" Gaara quickly took off his jacket and walked over to a small bathroom to wash his hands. He quickly put gloves, a mask and an apron on. It wasn't the most sterile conditions but he didn't have a choice. Gaara could try convince them to get the man to a hospital but he could see if he didn't do something now he would die.

"He was tortured for information. Multiple lacerations covering most of his body" Gaara nodded and looked over to Minato who was looking distressed. Sweat dripping from his forehead and guilt in his eyes. "That's the worst one. I've stitched up the more superficial ones but that cut is out of my league. I'll work on the rest while you concentrate on that one" Gaara nodded and moved to where Minato was.

"Minato, you can let go now" the older Namikaze nodded slowly, his eyes wary as he stepped away. Gaara lifted up the padding that was used for pressure and felt relief hit him. It was a deep wound but it was also a clean cut. Almost as if it was done with a scalpel. Multiple ligaments were cut through and an artery was partially cut. It was fixable, whoever did the damage wanted the man to bleed out slowly. There was yelling outside of the door and Gaara narrowed his eyes. He hated loud working conditions. "Anyone that doesn't need to be in this room leave now and close all the doors behind you"

"I'm not leaving" Minato stated, his eyes focused on the man's pale face. Minato ushered everyone out and closed the door behind him.

"If you're going to stay be useful then" Gaara pointed over to a tray of utensils. They were all approved surgical instruments and it didn't surprise Gaara that the Namikaze household had them. He assumed in their line of business they tried to avoid the hospital as much as they could. "Pass me that small suction tool…the one that looks like a balloon"

…

Minato slumped down in his office chair, a glass of whiskey in his hand and his face downtrodden. It had been a hard night for him. When Minato sent Yamato off on a scouting mission he didn't expect Kakashi to find him lying in an alley in such bad shape. Minato had seen some horrible things. Being a part of mafia life aspects such as torture were a necessity, but what Yamato had gone through was above and beyond. The Akatsuki were getting bolder. There was a knock on the door and Kurama entered the room followed by Gaara who had a shower before checking on Yamato who was asleep in one of the guest rooms.

"What the hell was that?" Gaara stared down at him and Minato held a bit more respect for the red haired man. If it wasn't in the best interest for Naruto to be with Sasuke he would definably have approved Naruto's choice of partner. Minato poured two more glasses and placed them on the other side of the table, suggesting for his son and new surgeon to sit down.

"Konan…" Kurama stated. Sitting down and sculling back the drink. "She's quite high up the Akatsuki, I've heard of her technique before but never seen it"

"The man" Minato shook his head at Gaara

"Yamato…" Gaara nodded and Minato let him continue.

"Sorry, Yamato is hooked up to a pain pump and will need to be watched. His bandages are not to be removed until they are ready to be or you will pull of new cell growth. His injury's, while numerous, were not life threating" Minato didn't say a word. His thoughts elsewhere. It seemed that Yamato's attacker used him to send a message but Minato would have to wait to find out if any information was extracted.

"You did well Gaara, go home" Gaara remained seated and Minato looked at him with curiosity. "Is there something you want to ask me?"

"Are you intentionally keeping me away from Naruto" He was blunt, Minato liked that. It meant there was no tip toeing around.

"However do you mean?" Minato smiled back. His smile threating to push onto his lips. Once again Minato was impressed, Gaara caught on quick.

"Before this you've used me for things Kakashi is obviously capable of. My skills have been wasted and it seems you call me in for menial bullshit" Minato looked at Kurama who looked almost bored.

"Kakashi has been busy" Minato stated "Now if you don't have any more questions you should go home and get some sleep" Gaara stood up and slammed his hands down on the table.

"I'm not dumb Minato, I can see what you are playing at and I want you to stop" Minato shook his head and raised from his chair. Making his presence dominating; Gaara didn't shy away.

"We made a deal Sabaku. You work for me and I stay out of Naruto's life. I'm keeping my end of the bargain and if that's interfering with your social life than that's just unfortunate. If you can't handle it then don't come back but I won't have to hold up my end of the deal" Gaara's face twitched in anger. Minato knew he had the man wrapped around his finger. If Minato was honest, the second his relationship with Naruto was over he would let the surgeon go. He would even suggest him to Tsunade for the head surgeon position because it was obvious the man deserved it.

"Don't call me again unless it's something worth my time, I'm not a babysitter to put a plaster on boo boo's" Minato let out a small laugh and watched Gaara storm out of his office.

"You like him" Kurama yawned and gave his father a knowing look. Minato sat back in his chair and poured himself another drink. Kurama held out his glass but he shook his head remembering his son wasn't supposed to drink.

"If things were different I would be ecstatic for him to date Naruto" Minato relaxed a bit and the toll of the night was evident on him. His skin was still pale and clammy. His eye's holding deep bags underneath them. His hair was a tangled mess and his clothes still covered in his friend's blood.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing father?" Kurama pressed. Minato knew how dearly Kurama loved Naruto. They all did, he was like the sunshine of the family. The one when things got rocky he could bring hope back to them.

"It's what's best for the family and for Naruto. You saw Yamato tonight…we can't let that happen to Naruto" Kurama ran his hand through his hair. A trait both him and Naruto had picked up from Minato. "For the family"

"For the family" Kurama replied.

…

Naruto looked at the clock, the red light flashing at him. He looked over to where Gaara was supposed to be and felt his heart clench. The spot where his boyfriend slept was empty. Many thoughts crossed his mind; where could Gaara be at three am? He sat up and grabbed his cell phone to check if Gaara had text him. His empty message box shone out at him and he threw it across the room. He felt his eyes sting with tears and tried to fight them back.

Gaara wouldn't cheat on him. He had told him he was in this for better or worse and he wasn't the type of man to go back on his word. So why did he feel so sick? Why did Naruto feel like climbing out of his bed, storming down to the hospital to check Gaara was working? Naruto looked over to the empty side of bed again and pulled at his hair in frustration. It was eating him alive, the doubt and insecurities were spinning his mind and weighing him down. Naruto jumped out of bed. He couldn't stay in his boyfriend's bed without him.

He quickly found a pen and scribbled a note for the surgeon and stuck it to the bedroom door. Naruto then grabbed his things, making sure he didn't forget anything and made his way home. He chose to walk, his mind needing fresh air. He trusted Gaara, he knew he did so why did he feel so betrayed? Naruto's feet kicked pebbled along the way, going in one particular direction and before he knew it he was staring up at a mansion he hadn't been to in some time.

Naruto debated with himself. He could keep walking, go home to his empty apartment and wallow in his loneliness. The other option was pushing the buzzer on the side of the gate. If he did that though he could make things worse. What if Gaara was just working and by choosing to enter the mansion he could ruin everything. But Sasuke had promised him a friendly ear. Someone who would listen to him and comfort him. Could Naruto trust him though? He knew he wouldn't cheat but getting closer to Sasuke would cause drama in the already fragile relationship between him and Gaara. Naruto looked down the road towards his way home and then to the buzzer. He took a step towards it. He needed someone to vent to.


	17. Bombs

Reviews! i love them! thanks you so much! I'm loving writing this story and i'm so stoked people are enjoying reading it!

Vertigo step! Thank you so much for both of your reviews! looking forward to your one when i finish this story as i'm interested in what feedback you will give me! I'm happy you like how it is set outside of high school. If i'm honest i don't think i could even write a high school story since it's been a few years since i stepped foot in one. I'm writing this story from the point in my life where im at since it's easy to relate to, giving it a nice flow as i can write reflecting personal feelings in some points. Any way! so happy you love this story enough to review! if at any point you feel the need to give feedback i encourage you to. I don't want my writing to fault or this story to become lazy!

...

Uncomfortable. It would be the only word to describe the situation Naruto was in. He stood across from Gaara, neither men saying a word. The disappointed look on Gaara's face said it all while Naruto looked at him with sad eyes. Gaara and Naruto hadn't talked since the night he was left in the others bed. Part of Naruto was too afraid; scared that it would be the end of their relationship. Gaara sighed, the question still hanging in the air.

"Where did you go Naruto?" Naruto bit his lip and averted his eyes. Nothing had happened between him and Sasuke. There had been a moment though when Naruto felt Sasuke wanted something a bit more causing Naruto to excuse himself and go to bed in an empty guest room. Apart from that though Sasuke had just let Naruto ramble on about his insecurities and doubts, offering his opinion when he felt he could. Although nothing happened Naruto still felt guilty.

"I went to Sasuke's" Naruto murmured out. He watched as Gaara's hand clenched on his desk. His knuckles white and eye's wide. Naruto assumed it wasn't the answer he was expecting. "Nothing happened. He let me talk and then we went to bed…in different rooms"

"I don't care that nothing happened Naruto! You just up a left in the middle of the night to go to another man's house! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?" Something snapped in Naruto. All the built up fears bubbling over and anger accompanying them.

"How you feel? Are you serious Gaara?" Naruto yelled out. "What about how I feel!" Gaara went to say something but Naruto held up his hand to stop him. "I am sick Gaara! Sick of waiting around for you! Sick of wondering where you are! Sick of you making excuses and standing me up! You said you were in this no matter what and then it's like you've just disappeared! I understand you have priorities but you don't have any time for me anymore!"

"That doesn't mean you should run to Sasuke Uchiha of all people!" Gaara spat out. The red haired man's eyes were wild, almost as if a beast was rearing up in them.

"I didn't mean to end up there I just did!" the two men began their stare off again. Naruto could understand why Gaara was so angry, the whole reason he ended up at Sasuke's was because he thought Gaara was cheating. "At least I left you a note Gaara. You left me nothing, I woke up and you were gone"

"I was on-call Naruto" Gaara replied weakly. Naruto sighed and shook his shaggy blonde locks.

"You and I both know that's a lie" There it was. All Naruto's doubts and truths out in the open. He just hoped Gaara would do the same.

"I was working…" Naruto wanted to scream and pull at his hair. Why couldn't Gaara just tell him the truth? He knew for a fact Sakura was the surgeon on call last night.

"I think we need a break" his voice cracked as he said the words but he had no choice. Until Gaara told him the truth he couldn't be with him.

"I don't want a break Naruto, I want to be with you" Gaara quickly stood up and grabbed Naruto around the waist. His forehead resting on Naruto's and he could feel Gaara's chest beating against his. "Naruto, I can't tell you the truth but I can tell you I'm not cheating on you"

"Why Gaara, why can't you tell me!" a tear slipped out of Naruto's cerulean eyes. The pain of his relationship falling apart overwhelming him.

"Naruto, just know that I love you…I will never do anything to hurt you" Naruto pushed Gaara away. It was the first time he had said those words to him and he refused to accept them.

"Love me? Do you think I'm stupid Gaara! If you loved me you wouldn't hide anything from me! Can't you see what this is doing to us?" Gaara went to grab him again but Naruto took a step backwards. Tears now flowing freely down his face. "I can't be with someone who lies to me Gaara. I've had so much hidden from me my whole life and I can't live like that again" Naruto went for the door, his hand stopping on the handle. "When you figure out what's really important to you come find me but until then we're over" Naruto quickly opened his now ex-boyfriends office door. He fought the urge to go back into the room and throw himself at the man. To tell him he loved him as well but he couldn't. He needed Gaara to know he wasn't a push over or someone to be taken for granted.

…..

The day progressed slowly for Naruto after his face off with Gaara. He had tried to keep himself busy but it was difficult to concentrate when he felt like he was about to fall apart any second. He didn't understand what had happened. One minute they we're in a happy relationship, falling head over heels for each other and then the next they couldn't stop fighting. His chest tugged in pain again and Naruto rested his head in his hands. Had he made a mistake? Gaara had said he wasn't cheating on him so why did his stomach churn still. He knew Gaara had told him the truth, he could see it in the man's eyes but there was something else going on. It hurt Naruto to think Gaara didn't trust him enough to know what it was.

"Earth to Naruto" someone called out. Naruto lifted his head; Shikamaru stood in front of him with his usual bored expression.

"Hey Shika…"Naruto forced out. He knew he sounded tired which caused the lazy but brilliant man to raise an eyebrow at him.

"I'm having lunch with Choji at that new bbq place down the road, want to come?" Naruto jumped up quickly. This was the kind of distraction he was looking for, something to lift up his spirit. Food never let him down. "I guess that's a yes"

"Let's get going!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air, earning a few laughs from around him. Some of the nurses showing a look of relief as they had never seen Naruto so down before.

Shikamaru walked in silence with Naruto through the halls and down the road. Choji was meeting them there and Naruto got the sense Shikamaru wanted to say something to him. His friend stopped suddenly, rubbing the back of his neck; it was something he did when he found something bothersome. "Just say it Shikamaru"

"Are you alright?" the question stumped Naruto. Shikamaru was never one to ask about other's feelings. He was more of a show through actions kind of man. "Temari told me what happened…"

"I could be better but I've been through worse" Shikamaru began walking again. The conversation already over. It made Naruto feel slightly better knowing he had people looking out for him. "I bet Choji's already eaten the house down!"

"Wouldn't surprise me" Shikamaru walked through the door first. The smell hit Naruto, engulfing his senses with the smell of crispy pork. Choji was over in the back booth, patiently waiting for the strips of meat to be cooked.

"Hey guys! Help yourself!" The chuddy but cheerful man encouraged. Naruto didn't need to be told twice and began putting his own food on the self-service grill. "Heard about your break up, sorry to hear man"

"It's a break…." Break up sound so foreign to Naruto. He guess he did end things but a big part of him expected them to work it out and Naruto had no intention of dating anyone else.

"You could give things a go with Sasuke now" Naruto froze. Sasuke hadn't entered his mind once today and bringing him up made his cheeks flush. Choji was right, he was free to act on his attraction to Sasuke but did he really want to?

"Naruto and Gaara aren't officially over Choji" Naruto jumped when he heard Ino's voice. The blonde wriggled in to sit next to Choji and he began to wonder if he was being set up.

"Sounds like it is" Choji muttered out, his swirl marked cheeks puffed out with pork. Ino nudged him in the side, glaring at him for how insensitive he was being.

"It's a break. Which means they are still together…they just need some time apart to figure out things, right Naruto?" he nodded, not replying as he turned over his steak. He thought this was going to be his chance to forget what had happened but it seemed to be going in the opposite direction.

"Ino, Choji…enough" Naruto smiled at Shikamaru in thanks who in return gave a small smile back. That was Shikamaru for you, never good at expressing his feelings but brilliant at picking up on others.

"Did you guy's hear about the bomb?" the attention was quickly focused on Ino. All three men intrigued. "How have you not heard? It was all over the news last night!"

"What happened" Naruto leaned forward, his arms close to the grill as he listened intently.

"A bank was robbed last night, you know the big one close to the hospital" Choji stopped eating, pork hanging from his lips. "They say it's some new gang on the rise and from what dad said they're pretty freaky looking!" Ino pulled a face in disgust as she thought about it. "One guy had all these weird ritualistic tattoo's and was yelling about some god of death, another looked like Frankenstein with all these piercings stitched together! Dad also said a blonde guy had this high tech gadget over his eye and another had his whole face covered in a mask"

"They sound like a weird bunch, how troublesome" Shikamaru stated with his usual line. Naruto knew by his tone he was interested though.

"I know right! Anyway they robbed the entire bank! Took everything and when the police tried to get inside BOOM!" Ino threw her hands in the air to exaggerate "The whole place blew up!"

"No way!" Choji gapped. His food forgotten and the smell of burnt pork began to fill the room.

"I'm serious! They only found the bank managers body inside though, dad reckons they snuck out without anyone noticing" Naruto felt sick to his stomach. It sounded like the Akatsuki and they seemed a lot more dangerous then what Kurama had made them out to be. Things were escalating quickly and the fact that it was so close to the hospital unsettled Naruto. Maybe he should take a holiday. He needed some time to sort out his head and if he was away then he wouldn't be putting anyone at risk.

"Thanks for the food guys" Naruto stood up. The three looked at him with concern in their eyes. "I've got to get back to work"

"But you only just got here and you haven't touched much of your food" Ino frowned. Naruto had lost what little appetite he had hearing Ino's story. He just wanted to go back to work and immerse himself in it before going to talk to Tsunade about taking some time off.

"I'm fine, you guy's eat it" Choji didn't needed to be asked twice and quickly grabbed up Naruto's portion off food.

"Naruto, you know we're here for you right?" Shikamaru and Choji nodded in agreement with Ino. It was obvious to Naruto it hurt them seeing him so disheartened.

"I'll be alright guys. I'm going to ask for some time off I think though. Time to sort out everything instead of stumbling around in the dark like a drunk idiot" Shikamaru stood up. Waving a lazy goodbye to his friends.

"I'll walk back with you, I have some paper work I need to chase up" Naruto knew he was lying. Shikamaru never did any extra work as he preferred to sleep instead.

"Thanks again guys" Naruto and Shikamaru did a quick goodbye, making their way back to the hospital and occasional looking over to the direction in which the bank was.


	18. Time out

Tsunade looked down at Naruto, her hands on her desk and body leant forward. She seemed frustrated with him and he knew the pressures of running the hospital was getting to her. Naruto stared back at her, unwavering under her glare. He watched as she sighed and plopped back in her chair, flopping her head backwards and swaying on it side to side. Naruto wanted to laugh, she looked like a frustrated child who didn't get their way.

"Are you sure about this brat, you do realise how much of a pain it is to find a fill in" she groaned out. Naruto knew it wasn't hard to fill his position for a few weeks, Tsunade just hated bringing in agency nurses.

"You just don't want to do anymore work then necessary Granny Tsunade!" he exclaimed. She lifted her eyebrow at him then waved her hand dismissively. "With me gone you won't have to worry about the Akatsuki"

"I'd rather you were here so I could keep watch over you Brat" Naruto laughed. She would come up with any excuse just to say no to his request.

"Look, I need a break things have become…messy. I just need a few weeks to clear my head and get refocused. As it is at the moment my brain is all over the place and it's affecting my work so you can either give me this time off or I can make a mistake ending up in a lawsuit…" Tsunade slapped her hand against her face is disbelief. He knew he was right, she did as well.

"Fine brat! But you better be prepared to be called in if I need you!" Naruto nodded in agreement. He didn't plan on going anywhere, just to his apartment where he could be left with his own thoughts.

"Thanks Granny" he smiled as she glared daggers at him for using the nickname he had given her.

"Get out of here brat before I change my mind!" Naruto quickly made his way out, passing Shizune on the way out.

"Keep safe Naruto!" she gave him a big hug and ruffled his hair. Naruto welcome the warm hug. He made his way down to the elevator and pushed the button. There was a sharp ding and Naruto went to make his way into it but stopped quickly. Gaara stood in front of him, he grabbed his arms and pulled him into the elevator quickly, pushing the emergency stop so no one could use it.

"Gaara, what the hell!" Naruto yelled, trying to squirm out of his grip. Gaara stared intently down at him, his sea foam eyes angry.

"Just shut up for few seconds Naruto and let me explain!" Naruto backed into the elevator wall as Gaara let go of his arms, placing them on either side of Naruto's head "I'm sorry Naruto. I never meant to make you feel neglected or make you doubt how much our relationship means to me"

"That's not the point Gaara" Naruto whispered. Gaara leant his forehead against Naruto's.

"Just listen, please" Naruto could feel the pleading in Gaara's voice and decided to let him continue. "I've never lied to you, I just never told you what I've been doing but I've been doing it to protect you. I knew if you found out what I was doing you would be hurt and I did it so you could have your life back"

"Gaara you scaring me, what have you done?" Gaara hung his head ashamed causing Naruto to become more worried.

"I was an idiot Naruto. I could see you getting closer to the damn Uchiha brat and something in me snapped. I wanted to try keep him away from you…" Gaara placed a soft kiss on Naruto's lips before starting again. "I'm sorry, sorry for letting my jealousy affect my choices. I should have trusted you and instead I pushed you away and I'm scared if I tell you the truth you won't want anything to do with me"

"Gaara, as long as you're honest with me I can forgive you. No matter what it is" Naruto reached up and touched Gaara's pain face, trying to reassure him.

"I made a deal with your father Naruto" his cerulean eyes widened, shocking running through his bones. He wasn't expecting that. Naruto knew his father had taken an interest in Gaara but he never thought Gaara would be so stupid, the man seemed so cautious. "It was the night I picked you up from the bar and Minato had offered me a deal. If I worked for him then he would stop meddling in your life…I thought that meant Sasuke would to…"

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto pushed him away quickly and began to pace. He was trying to wrap his head around it all. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I was just trying to do what was best for you Naruto, I could see how much all their crap was affecting you and I just wanted to help" Naruto spun around, pointing his finger into Gaara's chest.

"Help me? Jesus Gaara you've made things worse! How much have you seen? Maybe you could get out before you get to deep" Naruto's anger subsided, replaced by his worry for the red haired man. His mind raced with possibilities. He had to get Gaara out before it was Minato got his hooks into and there was only one way out.

"Not a lot, a few scrapes and bruises. Only one major situation with a man named Yamato" Naruto felt his stomach drop.

"Did you see his face?" Gaara nodded slowly, confusion in his eyes and Naruto leant his head back against the elevator door.

"You're an idiot you know that?" Naruto ran his hand through his blonde trestles.

"Naruto, I think your father is purposely trying to get in-between us" it made sense. A few scrapes and bruises didn't require Gaara's level of skill.

"He wants me to marry Sasuke" the tension between them became awkward and Naruto shuffled his feet.

"Oh that's rich! You get angry at me for hiding things from you and you just happen to leave out that detail! You knew all this and you still chose to see him!" Naruto bit his lip. He was at fault here to, he knew it. "We've made a real mess of things haven't we?"

"We haven't really talked much…" Naruto blushed thinking about their relationship. It had been a fairly physical few months and not a lot of downtime from it. The atmosphere shifted and Gaara's lips curled up into a smug smile. He advanced on Naruto, his eye's sizing him up. "Gaara…"

"I've missed you Naruto" he purred out. Naruto bit his lip, his throat tightening and stomach clenching.

"Gaara we shouldn't, there's so much to sort out" So much was left unresolved. Gaara shrugged lifting his chin up. Naruto put his hand on his chest, weakly pushing him away. "As much as I want this Gaara I can't. I need to sort out my head and this" he pointed between him and Gaara "Is confusing me. Before this goes any further I need to get my head straight, figure out if we can fix this at all"

"It's going to be hard to keep away from you here. Every time I see you I just want to pick you up and take you home" Naruto reached past him and pushed the start button on the elevator.

"I'm going on holiday…I'll call you though, when I figure out this mess" Gaara groaned, grabbed Naruto's face and engulfed his lips. Pushing him back against the cold metal behind Naruto. The blonde sighed into the kiss, closing his eyes. Naruto tangled his hands into Gaara's soft red hair, pulling him closer to him. Gaara nip at his bottom lip and Naruto moaned, giving his tongue entrance into his mouth, causing it to tangle against his. Gaara's hands ran down the sides of his body and Naruto reached up for the buttons of his shirt. "Gaara…"

"I know" they pulled away both breathless and Naruto immediately missed the warmth of the other man. He reached out to pull him back but Gaara pulled away further. "Call me…" the elevator door's opened and Gaara stepped out onto the floor Naruto had just left before. He watched as the doors closed in front of him and sank to the floor. How did things get so complicated so quickly?

….

Gaara sat down at the bar, drink in hand as he mused over the day's events. Temari sat next to him, waiting patiently for him to continue. He had needed someone to talk to and she was the only person he really trusted to tell everything to. Temari waved to the bar tender who brought over a bottle and began to pour her a drink, she closed her hand around his wrist indicating to leave it.

"I feel better, knowing that everything is out in the open. No more secrets" he took a sip and acknowledged he felt a bit lighter. "Although, Sasuke still unsettles me"

"Makes sense, I mean the guy obviously has a thing for Naruto" Gaara threw back his drink and poured himself another one. It angered him that the man still went after Naruto knowing he was in a relationship. It annoyed him even further that Minato had told Naruto to marry him. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?" Temari spun her chair around to face Gaara.

"Look there's obviously something between those two, some sort off attraction. I saw it the night we were all drinking together. No Naruto didn't do anything but he didn't exactly stop Sasuke's advances" Gaara tightened his grip on his glass. "The guy's confused Gaara. I don't think he understands what it is he feel's for Sasuke but you…he cares for you Gaara, probably even loves you but with all the crap going on things have just skewed all of your perspectives. So…what are you going to do about it" Gaara thought it over. The way things were Gaara needed to find a way to uncomplicated it all.

"I think…I think I need to give Naruto some distance. He needs to work out what he wants and I need to focus on my work" Temari gave him a small smile.

"You're not going to fight for him?" Gaara winked at his sister.

"Of course I am. But I'm going to respect his wishes. I just have to wait for him to call me" They needed the space. He knew they did. They had both done things, said things that needed time to heal.

"Your forgetting one thing Sabaku" a voice laughed behind him. Gaara stood up quickly and spun around to see Sasuke smirking at him. "It's me you're fighting"

"I won't lose to you Uchiha" Gaara spat out. Temari put a hand on his shoulder to try come him down.

"I love Naruto, I always have and for the first time since I've met him he's finally seeing me and I won't let you ruin that" Sasuke took a step forward and Gaara copied him.

"You're the one ruining it Uchiha. Getting Minato to try and force Naruto into marrying you, it's pathetic" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Gaara had hit a nerve.

"That wasn't my idea. I want Naruto to marry me because he wants to" that surprised Gaara. He though Sasuke was just another mafia brat following orders. "Look, I'm not going to fight you. But I am not going to give up either"

"Neither am I" Gaara replied. Both men looked at each other in understanding. They both loved Naruto and they would both fight for him. Sasuke held out his hand and Gaara looked down at it warily.

"May the best man win Sabaku" Sasuke smirked. Gaara took his hand, shaking it more firmly then he should have. Sasuke didn't wince though, he returned the pressure.

"You two are both idiots" Temari spoke up, turning her back to them with a disbelieving look etched onto her face.

…..


	19. Confusion

Naruto had only been at home for two days and he was already bored. He lay on the couch, his feet resting on the end and his hand lazily hanging off the side with the remote in it. He click the same button, flicking through the shows and not really paying attention to what was on. He eventually gave up and stared up at the ceiling. This had been the first time he had taken a decent amount of time off and he had no idea what he was meant to do with all his free time. He picked up his phone and flicked through his contacts realising everyone would be at work. He thought about getting dressed and going into work but then what was the point in asking for time out?

He sat up and rested his head in his hands, pulling at it in a frustrated matter. He hated staying home, it made him feel lazy and lethargic. He needed to do something, anything! He made his way into the kitchen and opened up his cupboards to look for food. Snacking killed time. His stomach gave out a small whine at the sight of how empty they were. It had been a while since he had stayed home he had barely done any food shopping. Excitement filled Naruto. Sure it was a household chore but it got him out of the house! Naruto quickly chucked on some clothes and brushed his hair. Grabbing the keys to his car he opened the door and found Sasuke leaning next to it in the apartment complex hallway.

"You haven't been answering my texts Dobe" Naruto brushed passed him, ignoring the man. He was trying to sort out his life, he didn't need Sasuke trying to complicate it more then what it already was. "I'm talking to you Dobe!"

"I'm busy Teme" Naruto mumbled as Sasuke matched his quick steps.

"I'll come with you" Naruto stopped, crossed his arms and pursed his lips.

"No, your annoying me" Sasuke laughed. It almost caused Naruto to waver but he turned his back on him and made his way to the complex garage.

"Come on Dobe, I just want to spend time with you" Naruto continued to ignore him and put the key into his car, unlocking it and hoping in. Sasuke hopped in the other side and Naruto banged his head down onto the steering wheel in frustration.

"Get out of my car Teme" Sasuke shook his head and buckled his seat belt. Naruto did the same giving him one last stare before turning the car on. "Why can't you leave me alone?"

"That should be obvious by now" Sasuke joked. Naruto reversed out of his car park, giving up on trying to get the annoying man out of his car. "So where are we going?"

"To the supermarket" Naruto ground out. He ignored Sasuke's attempts at small talk, trying to show he wasn't interested in anything he said. It was getting harder to ignore him though, Sasuke's scent was fogging up his mind and Naruto found himself engaging with the man.

"So, I'm surprised you were home" Naruto turned off the car and hoped out of it, making his way to grab a trolley.

"I've taken some time off…to sort some things out" Sasuke's eyes lit up and his lips turned up slightly at the corners. Naruto sighed.

"Trouble in paradise?" Sasuke walked over to the fruit section, grabbing a plastic bag and placing some bananas into it. Naruto watched as he put them in the trolley and went to grab some grapes and also some strawberries. Something tugged in Naruto's stomach at watching Sasuke act like a normal human.

"None of your business Teme and how do you know I would like any of this?" Sasuke shrugged, grabbed the cart and pushed it towards the vegetable section.

"I don't, but if your anything like you were in school you would leave this supermarket with a cart full of instant ramen" Naruto blushed. He was right of course and it struck him how much Sasuke actually paid attention to him. Sasuke filled his trolley up with a range of vegetables much to Naruto's dismay. He didn't like how comfortable he was, almost acting as if they were a couple. "Come on, meat section next"

"I can do my own shopping Sasuke" the raven haired, onyx eyed man grabbed his hand dragging him behind him and ignoring his complaints.

"Now…what kind of meat…" Naruto quirked his head to the side, watching as Sasuke picked up the wrapped packages, inspecting their quality. "Chicken?"

"I prefer pork" Sasuke put a packet of chicken in the trolley and by passed the pork section "Hey!"

"Pork's fatty, you should know that with all your training" Naruto poked his tongue out at him and grabbed some anyway. Sasuke shook his head in a disapproving manor but said nothing "Alright…what about mince and a bit of steak?"

"Stop it" Naruto nudged passed him and grabbed a few packages, placing them in the cart and moving on to the isles.

"I'm just trying to get you to eat something other than ramen" Sasuke kept putting things in his trolley. Some things Naruto scrunched his nose up at and others he agreed with.

"Stop acting like were a couple" Naruto reached up to grab something from the top shelf. His feet on the tips of his toes and his fingers just brushing it. He felt Sasuke press himself against his back and grab the box. Naruto felt heat rise in him at the feel of his body against his. This is why he wanted to stay away from him, he kept reacting to the man in a way that he didn't want.

"Have you got any rice at home? What about some bread and milk?" Sasuke had his hand on Naruto's hip and his face next to his so he could feel his breath on his cheek. He ducked out of the embrace quickly.

"Uh, no…I don't think so" Sasuke disappeared and came back with the items in his hands.

"I don't understand how you survive Naruto" the blonde boy grabbed the trolley again, stomping down the aisles and throwing things into it angrily. Naruto could look after himself, he had most of his life and he didn't need some smug asshole telling him differently. So what if he liked to eat ramen, sure it may have a high salt content but it had meat and vegetables. "You need any of these?" Naruto's jaw dropped when he spied the packet Sasuke was smugly holding up.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me Sasuke!" Naruto ran over and placed the box of condoms back on the self. His cheeks a violent shade of red. Sasuke grabbed them off again and chucked them in with everything else. Naruto went to grab them out but Sasuke stood in front of him.

"You're in a relationship aren't you? It's important to keep safe" Naruto tried to reach past the teasing man only to have his wrist grabbed and pulled against him. Sasuke leant down, his lips ghosting against Naruto's as he moved them towards his ear. "If not, we could always use them" Naruto felt his blood rush towards his groin. He had never expect Sasuke to be so forward, especially in a supermarket. "I'm kidding" Sasuke laughed, letting go of him and carrying on down the aisle.

Naruto remained quiet the rest of the trip. He refused to look at Sasuke. His mind imaging things he picture the other man doing to him. Sasuke seemed to know the affect he was having on him, basking in his embarrassment. Naruto expected Sasuke to disappear when they got back to his but the man insisted on helping him carry his groceries up. Naruto had declined but as before Sasuke did it anyway. Once all the food was inside Naruto went to say goodbye to Sasuke but the man had made himself at home on his couch.

"You don't mind if I stay for dinner do you? After all that hard work I did?" Naruto narrowed his eyes. Sasuke was messing with him, trying to get under his skin and it was working.

"I'm not cooking for you Teme, I didn't ask for your help so get out of my apartment" Sasuke stood up and Naruto felt hope well up in his chest but I disappeared when Sasuke made his way over to him. Naruto felt his heart beat in his chest as he was caught up against the sink and Sasuke. "Sasuke, you need to leave"

"What if I don't want to Dobe" Sasuke picked him up and placed him on the counter, positioning himself between his legs. Naruto knew if it went any further he would be crossing a line and put his hand on the others chest to try and keep their distance. "I don't think you want me to leave either…"

"I have a boyfriend Sasuke" Sasuke's smile widened.

"We both know that's bullshit, you two are on a break" Sasuke wrapped his hand around Naruto's back and the other on his neck, pulling him towards him and he leant his head down to Naruto's exposed neck. Naruto didn't fight him, too caught up in his thoughts. Naruto thought of Gaara. He had deep feelings for him, he knew that but things were pretty rocky between them. On the other hand though he was definably attracted to Sasuke, but was that all it was? Did he actually having feelings for him apart from his physical attraction? He wanted to think he did as the reason he began feeling anything towards him was watching him interact with the kids at the hospital. Naruto felt Sasuke place small kisses on his neck and he placed his hand on the man's shoulder to steady himself. "You want this as much as I do Naruto and I can prove it"

"Sas-"he was cut off by a throaty groan that ripped out of his throat as Sasuke's hand lightly rubbed over the crotch area of his jeans. The hand on his neck tightened, Sasuke's kisses on his neck becoming harder.

"Just say the word Naruto and we can take this further" Naruto reluctantly pushed Sasuke away. His hand over his chest as he tried to regain his composure. Sasuke looked at him agitated. Annoyed that Naruto had resisted him.

"I can't do this Sasuke" Naruto whispered out, tears in his eyes. Sasuke put his hands in his pockets.

"Why not! It's obvious we both want this so why are you holding back!" Naruto jumped of the counter. His hand's still holding onto it though in a tight grip.

"Because I'm confused! I don't know what the hell is going on anymore! I care about Gaara! Hell I even think I love Gaara but then there's this! Us! I don't even know how to make sense of this!" Naruto yelled back, his frustrations flooding into his words as he spoke. "For the longest time I haven't been able to stand you but something's changed and now there's this…this attraction to you. I need time Sasuke, I need to sort out what it is I want and I can't do that with you pouncing on me like this! It just confuses me even more!"

"I didn't mean to…Look Naruto I'm sorry if I was a bit forward I've just wanted this for the longest time and you were just so adorable at the supermarket it was hard to keep my hands off you" Naruto was surprised at Sasuke's confession. It threw him to see Sasuke looking so vulnerable. "I just want a chance with you Naruto, that's all"

"I just…give me some time Sasuke, please" Sasuke ran a hand through his black hair, a defeated look on his face.

"I won't wait for long Naruto, I'm not a patient person and I've waited for you long enough. I'll give you space but I'm not going to give up on whatever this is" Naruto felt his stomach flutter. Sasuke gave him a weak smile then spun on his heel and slammed the apartment door behind him. Naruto stood in his now empty kitchen; wondering how things had gotten so out of hand. One minute he's shopping with the man and the next he's letting him practically jump him. He had never felt so torn or confused in his life. Even when he had decided to leave his family it hadn't been this hard.


	20. Under siege

Alright readers! Just a short author's note! The next few chapters are going to cover one big event from different perspectives as there are going to be 2-4 scenes playing out at one. Please review these chapters as I'm really worried about how well I'm writing them as they are a pivotal point in this story. I hope you all enjoy!

…..

Four men stood outside of Konoha hospital, each wearing a black clock with a red cloud pattern on it. Although dressed the same, each man had specific details about them that caused them to stand out. The first was a tall blonde man. His hair was tied up into a high ponytail with a large amount hanging in front to make up a fringe. The front mass of hair hid a metallic scope attached to his left eye, the other blue one visible. His finger nails were painted black and his right hand adorned a blue stoned ring. The man next to him was reasonably normal, except for his vibrant red hair that hung scruffily on his head. He wore a similar ring but instead of blue the stone was purple. The other two men were rougher looking. One of them had his face hidden by a mask and hood the other sporting slicked back silver hair. Each man once again wearing a ring each.

People stared at them. Not because of how odd looking they all were but because they had an intimidating aura coming from them. Add in the scythe type weapon the silvered haired man was carrying and the scene of the men would make anyone quake with fear. The blonde smirked at how people avoided them and watched them warily from a distance. He didn't blame them either.

"You two, find the surgeon" the masked man grunted out towards the blonde and the red head.

"I wanted to go after the Namikaze brat, Kakuzu!" The blonde crossed his arm disappointedly and childlike. The silver haired man slung his scythe over his shoulder and began to walk forward. "Hey! You're not the boss here yeah! I'm going after Namikaze!"

"Deidra, we're going after the surgeon. Hurry up, I don't want to be late" the man called Deidara huffed and followed the expressionless red head. Glaring at the other two as they passed them.

"Jashin will be happy today! So many rituals to be done! So many innocent's to slaughter!" The scythe wielding man exclaimed. His expression one of an excited puppy. The other man flicked his red eyes at him as a warning.

"Don't take too long Hidan, Pain want's this to be over quickly. It's a hospital, the police will be here soon" Hidan let out a loud, obnoxious laugh.

"Don't fret Kakuzu! They can also meet Jashin through my scythe!" Kakuzu shook his head. It was obvious he didn't appreciate being partnered up with the religious nut job but it was better than being partner up with Deidara like Sasori was. The blonde always rambled on about his explosions, calling them works of art.

"Let's go, Pain said he's on level 8" He swept passed the purple eyed man, giving him a small grunt. He didn't particularly want to go on this mission, he saw no profit in it but pain had convinced him that they were going to ransom the Namikaze son and he wanted to make sure Deidara didn't get to carried away and blow the place up.

…..

Naruto peered down into the operation room nervously. Sakura had rang him, informing him that Konohamaru's surgery was about to start and he immediately made his way to the hospital. Naruto had kept his distance though, he wasn't ready to face Gaara yet and he wanted the man to be one hundred percent focused on the long surgery. Naruto had sworn Sakura to secrecy as she snuck him into the observation room. A few hours had passed and from what Naruto could see Gaara was slowly making leeway with the cancerous lump, his hand carefully guiding his scalpels with precision. Sakura looked up to Naruto and gave him a small smile then went back to aiding Gaara. He was oblivious to Naruto being there, his mind completely focused on the operation at hand.

Naruto jumped when the door burst open. Kakashi ran into the room, his eyes frantic and he quickly grabbed onto Naruto's hand. Naruto pulled away, confused and alarmed by the man's sudden intrusion. Kakashi grabbed for him again, his eye's flicking down at the operating room. Naruto followed his line of sight and froze. Two new people had entered the room and Gaara was yelling at them. Naruto knew immediately, the Akatsuki was here. Kakashi pushed Naruto behind him as the blonde one looked up towards them.

"We need to get out of here Naruto" Kakashi stated, his hand holding him from peaking over his shoulder to see what was happening. Panic was rising up in Naruto. Gaara was down there with those madmen and it was his fault. They were here for him.

"I have to go down there Kakashi!" The silver haired man remained silent, his eyes surveying the scene below carefully. Naruto pushed his way forward and began to bang on the glass to get the two men's attentions. Everyone looked up at him and his eyes locked with Gaara's.

…..

Gaara felt his world stop when his eye's connected with Naruto's. Fear froze his chest and he dropped his scalpel. He turned to Sakura whose face had paled, the realisation what was happening dawning on her. He focused back on the intruders, noticing one of them was gone.

"Where's the other one?" Gaara questioned calmly. He was hoping deep down his gut instincts weren't right.

"Up there" the red head pointed towards Naruto who was arguing with Kakashi. Gaara picked up his scalpel. There was nothing he could do. Everything in him was screaming for him to run after the man but the fact was he had a patient open on the table and was only half way through the complicated surgery. "Come with me"

"What?" Sakura looked between Gaara and the red head. "What do you want with Gaara?" The man took a step forward and Gaara gave him a steely glare that stopped him in his tracks. The man looked curiously at him.

"What do you want with my brother" Kankuro step forward in front of the operating table and shielding Gaara from view. "Keep going Gaara, I've got this"

"He's important, the boss want's him so I'm going to take him" Kankuro picked up a scalpel and held it in front of him, the man looked unfazed. "I don't have time for this, get out of my way or ill be late" Kankuro stood his ground and Gaara went back to work. Keeping his focus on what he was doing and also their conversation.

"If you want my brother you'll have to get through me" he heard the man's cloak ruffle and quickly looked over. Four needles were placed between the man's fingers, a purple liquid leaking off them.

"I'll go, but not before I finish this operation" Gaara spoke up. Before Gaara could comprehend what happen Kankuro feel to his knees, the needles now sticking out of his torso. Gaara's eyes widened and Sakura ran forward to help prop him up.

"That poison will kill him in a few hours, you have until then or I'll kill everyone in this room" Gaara's hand began to shake as he watched Sakura pull out the needles.

"P-poison?" she whispered.

"Gaara, finish the operation, I know you can do this" Kankuro smiled, giving him much needed support. Gaara slowly nodded and stared down at the partially removed mass. The pressure on his shoulders mounting from the added stress.

…..

Naruto fought against Kakashi, his father's right hand man who was dragging him down the hall way. He seemed unfazed by Naruto's struggles and didn't slow down his pace. "Kakashi, I have to go back!"

"The blonde one's gone, he's coming for you and I have to get you out of here" Naruto ripped his grip out from Kakashi's grip once again. Kakashi turned around, looking frustrated with him. "This isn't a game Naruto!"

"I know it isn't! But Gaara's down there and I have to help him!" Naruto would never forgive himself if Gaara died because of him. He had promised him that his life, his family would cause him no troubles and here they were. The hospital under attack and Gaara midway through surgery held hostage because of him. "This is my fault Kakashi! I need to do something! Anything!"

"There is nothing you can do!" they stared at each other, each one staying strong and trying to get the other to break. There was a loud explosion and Naruto covered his ears quickly as it threw him against the wall. Smoke clouded his vision and he looked to where the explosion had come from. There was a large hole in the wall, rubble surrounding it and the light in front of it hanging down, held on by one hinge.

"There you are!" an excited voice rang out. "Guess I found you before Kakuzu did, yeah!" Kakashi stood in front of Naruto, soot covering his half masked face. He held a kunai in one hand and poised himself in a crouched position.

"You alright Naruto?" the nurse struggled to his feet, leaning on the wall for support and coughing from the smoke coming from the small flames that licked around them.

"Yeah" He managed to steady himself and look back to the jagged hole. He watched as the man he had seen in the operating room stepped out from the smog. His one visible blue eye twinkling as he caught sight of Naruto.

"To think that money grabbing prick thought he was going to find you! Ha!" Naruto pushed himself off the wall and stood tall. He wasn't going to show any fear.

"What have you done with Gaara?" Naruto's voice had a slight croak to it as the smoke slightly burnt his throat.

"Me? Nothing…Sasori though I'm not too sure. We've been instructed to take both of you alive, but where is the fun in that!" Naruto came to the conclusion that the man had a few screws loose. "That bastard is probably going on about his form of art! Poison! How is that art! Art is meant to be explosive!" Kakashi pulled him down to the ground quickly, covering him with his body as a small metallic light hit the wall behind them. The explosion was louder this time and it cause Naruto's ear's to ring. "See! Beautiful isn't it!"

"What do you want with Gaara? I thought you only wanted me!" Deidara let out a booming laugh. His finger pointed at Naruto.

"Why do you care so much about that surgeon?" Naruto sprung to his feet and charged at the crazed man. Slamming him back through the hole he walked through and into another hallway.

"WHY DO YOU WANT HIM?" Deidara pushed Naruto off him and reached into his pocket. Pulling out a small lighter looking device.

"He's caught our leader's attention by fixing up a few people who should be dead, your brother for one. It would be handy to have someone like that" Naruto eyed the suspicious object. "I see you're curious about this…"

"What is it?" Kakashi dragged the blonde off Naruto towards him and straddled his body, trying to grab the small device. Deidara shoved his elbow into Kakashi's chest causing the man to gasp in pain and give him enough room to wiggle out from under him and stand up again. He quickly opened his cloak to expose his chest. Naruto and Kakashi's jaws dropped and eyes widened. The man had a bomb attached to him.

…..


	21. Plans and smoke

Shikamaru looked down at the note's Ino had handed him. He creased his brows together, the patient would definably need a scan as the sudden change in personality worried him. _How bothersome, _the neuro surgeon thought. Ino flicked her fringe out of her face and crossed her arms. He handed the notes back to her without a word and went to walk off. Ino grabbed his arm quickly. "Should I send him or not?"

"Yes" he replied, a lazy drawl in his tone. He went to walk away again but was pushed backwards by someone running into him. Shoving him to the floor. Ino yelled at the person and leant down, offering him her hand. "How annoying" Shikamaru stood up and brushed himself off. He looked towards the direction the person had come from, noticing more people moving quickly, their faces masked with fear and horror.

"What the hell is going on?" Ino snapped. Irritated already by her workload today. Shikamaru grabbed her arm as she went to step forward to check out what the commotion was about "Shika?"

"Look at their faces Ino, their scared, all of them" The irritable blonde scanned the faces of the diminishing crowd, taking note of how people were migrating to rooms quickly as if they were trying to hide. "We need to move" he pulled her behind him, grabbing door handles frantically until he found one that would open and pulled her inside. Ino went to talk again but he held up his finger to his lips, making a sign signalling her to be quiet.

Shikamaru peered out the small window on the door to get a better look at the situation. Two men appeared at the end of the hall way draped in black robes; one covered in blood the other remaining spotless. Shikamaru fought back the bile that rose in his throat, he had a pretty big idea where all the blood had come from. A shriek was heard and the two men reared on a quivering woman behind them. The man covered in blood took a step towards her, an excited leer on his face. Shikamaru flicked his eyes to the scythe like weapon dragging along the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind it. He grasped the door handle, his mind racing. He had to do something, he couldn't sit here and watch the man kill an innocent woman. He grasped the door handle but Ino quickly placed her hand on top of his, shaking her head.

"You don't even have a plan Shika, it's not like you to enter a fight unprepared" Shikamaru processed what she had said. She was right, if he went out there without a plan he'd be as good as dead and no help to anyone. Ino's face blanched as a gut wrenching scream rang out. The two friends looked out the small window. Ino raised her hand over her mouth to muffle her sob and Shikamaru bent over in shock, his stomach violently churning.

"Those bastards!" he whispered. He couldn't bring himself to look out the window again. His back slid down the door and he put his head between his legs to try calm himself. The picture of the girl flashed into his mind and he dry wretched. The scythe had struck right through her, pinning her to the wall behind. She was bent forward, blood pouring from out of the corner of her mouth and hands hanging limply by her sides. Shikamaru had never seen anything something so traumatic in his life, it was an act of pure bloodlust.

"We have to do something Shika…we can't let anyone else end up like that…that poor, poor girl" Ino's voice was cracking with fear and grief. Her face downturned and tears falling freely. Shikamaru noted how she had clung to his shirt, her fingers gripping it so tightly he could see it was limiting the circulation in her hand.

"Do you have your phone on you?" Ino took her phone out of her pocket and shakily handed it to him. He flicked it open, searching through the names on the list.

"Who are you going to call?" Shikamaru reached the number he was looking for, pushing the call button and raised it to his ear. He waited a few seconds before a click was heard, signifying it had been connected.

"_Is everything all right, Ino?"_ a male's voice rang out, concern etched into the tone at the out of the blue call.

"Mr Yamanaka, its Shikamaru" he waited for his friend's father; who was also in charge of the city's police force, to reply.

"_Shikamaru, is my daughter all right?"_ Even though he sounded like a concerned father, the man still sounded strong and intimidating through the line. His concern for his daughter not letting his job be affected.

"We've just witnessed a murder, there are two men dressed in black cloaks with a red cloud pattern. Ino and I have just witnessed them take down a young woman with a scythe like weapon and I'm certain it isn't their first victim" the line remained silent for a while, only the clicking of a keyboard could be heard. After what seemed like a few minutes to Shikamaru the man finally spoke again.

"_You two need to get out of there and quickly, we've had reports of four suspicious men entering the hospital. Explosions have also been recorded from the west wing…where are you two now?" _A hysterical laugh rang out down the hall way, followed by another loud scream. Shikamaru flinched, assuming the two men had taken the life of another.

"Eight floor, north wing. We're close to the fire escape" Ino's father breath out a sigh of relief.

"_Use it when you get the chance, do not approach them Shikamaru. These are s-class criminals, I have unit's on route"_ Shikamaru tightened his grip on the phone.

"What about everyone else?" he didn't know if he could live with himself if he left those on the floor they were on to be slaughter like cattle.

"_If you can help them try, but be careful, as I said before do not engage these men. Remember there are four of them, so watch out for the other two" _Shikamaru handed the phone over to Ino, assuming she would wanted to talk to her father. She timidly took it, her eyes red from shedding her tears. Shikamaru forced himself to look out the window, not wanting to listen into the intimate conversation between Ino and her father.

"Do you have a plan?" Ino croaked out. Her face was hoarse but she had a new strength to her. Shikamaru nodded.

"We need to go room to room. You direct everyone to the fire door and I'll keep a look out. We need to do this as quietly as possible so this may take some time" Ino set her mouth into a firm line, determination taking over her. They were responsible for the lives of the people in the hospital and they couldn't afford to waste any more time than they had already. Shikamaru looked through the window again, seeing nothing he grabbed Ino's phone again and opened the door slightly. He stuck it out, took a photo in each direction then pulled his hand back in. The two men had disappeared but he had a sinking feeling they would be back. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be" The two of them stood up. Shikamaru went first, Ino following close behind them. He looked across the hall where he spotted a face peering out at them. Shikamaru held up his hand to stopping them from coming out.

…

A bomb. It had to be a bloody bomb strapped to the obviously insane man. Naruto held his hand's up, trying to calm the wild man down. He felt blood trickle down his right arm, his leg was burning from scorch marks that marred it and he had a deep gash on his head caused by a piece of glass that had cut him when he tackled the man to the ground. Kakashi had moved away from the man with caution as well. Naruto watched Kakashi quickly survey the room and he felt glad he was with him, if anyone could get them out of this situation it was him.

"Impressive isn't it! With one press I can blow up this entire wing! The whole world will hear of my art!" the man seemed excited at the prospect and Naruto couldn't understand how he could be happy about murdering an untold number of people.

"Didn't your leader want me alive? Want Gaara alive?" he kept his voice steady, trying to use his crisis training to calm the overly excited man. "What would blowing yourself up even achieve?"

"My leader? I couldn't give a shit about what he wants! All I care about is my art and this will be my ultimate act!" Naruto shared a quick moment with Kakashi, he was encouraging him to continue.

"If you do this no one will be able to see your art ever again, people will eventually forget" Kakashi slowly inched his way around the man as Naruto kept him busy. "Something else will happen and you'll just be yesterday's news"

"What would you know about art? Something like this will immortalise me!" The man held up his hand with the detonator in it and Naruto shook.

"I may not know a lot about art but I've seen many accident victims being brought into this hospital. Initially there are reporters everywhere but after a week or so they begin to dwindle until there is none left. They move on to report on the next big story" Naruto saw a flash of recognition as the man's finger hesitated on the trigger, what he was saying was sinking in. If Naruto could continue talking him down Kakashi could subdue him until the police arrived.

"That is true…" the blonde man looked thoughtful "I'll need to do something bigger, something that people will never forget" Naruto's breath caught in his throat as he saw a swipe of silver. Blood spurted out from the man's arm which was now left as a stump. His arm feel to the floor, still clasping the detonator. That wasn't meant to happen. Kakashi was supposed to subdue the man not turn him into an amputee. Naruto didn't even realise Kakashi had a katana on him! "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"

"Grab the detonator Naruto!" Kakashi yelled, carefully grabbing the bomb clad man. Naruto bent down automatically, picking up the small silver object with a red button on top. He backed away from the arm as if it was diseased.

"My arm! Look what you've done to my arm! You will pay for that!" The man fought against Kakashi's hold, even without his arm he struggled to hold onto him. The man's blood was acting almost like grease and Kakashi was hesitant to hold onto him to tightly. The man pulled away, clasping his bleeding stump, his nostrils flaring. "You'll be seeing me again Namikaze" He sprinted down the hall way and Kakashi went to chase after him.

"Kakashi, leave him!" The silver haired mafia member reluctantly listened to Naruto's request. "He'll need to go somewhere to get his arm sorted, let the police deal with him" The smoke around them intensified and Naruto began to cough violently from inhaling it into his lungs for too long. He felt his eyes burning as the adrenaline his body had created wore off. Kakashi ran over to him as he dropped to his knees, his hand clasping at his throat.

"I need to get you out of here Naruto" Kakashi pleaded with him. Naruto began to wheeze.

"No…Gaara" He leant on Kakashi as he helped him stand and slung his arm around the taller man's shoulder for support "Please…."

"I'm getting you to ED first, you've inhaled too much smoke" Kakashi helped him stumble toward the non-damaged end of the hall.

"I can't…leave him" It was getting harder and harder for Naruto to speak. Each word he forced out causing his throat to feel constricted. Kakashi sighed.

"Naruto, there is nothing you can do. I'll take you to ED and then I'll go help Gaara" Naruto could feel his body begin to shut down from the carbon monoxide in his system. He lazily agreed to Kakashi's compromise. He knew he wouldn't go back on his word.

"Naruto! Stay awake!" Kakashi begged, his voice frantic as the blonde man faded in and out of consciousness. "Shit"

…..


End file.
